DNB Asset Management AS Purchases 5,328 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

DNB Asset Management AS increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 11.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,867 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,328 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $1,064,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 1st quarter worth $41,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth $62,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 133.3% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 167.3% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 3,795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 41.9% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,000 after buying an additional 2,250 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $19.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 24,222 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,901,194. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $19.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.56. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $19.33 and a fifty-two week high of $23.88.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.01). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 56.01% and a net margin of 1.41%. The firm had revenue of $24.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.16 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 26th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ACI shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Roth Capital upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.45.

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.