Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Sold by Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc.

Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. reduced its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,318 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,285 shares during the period. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 33.0% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 1,362 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 15.7% in the third quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 43,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $983,000 after buying an additional 5,871 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the third quarter worth $364,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 0.5% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 107,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,455,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the third quarter worth $205,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday. Roth Capital raised Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Roth Mkm raised Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.45.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

ACI stock traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $19.92. 3,750,121 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,461,578. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.61. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $19.84 and a one year high of $23.88. The company has a market cap of $11.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.52%.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company's food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores.