Short Interest in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Drops By 7.9%

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,820,000 shares, a decrease of 7.9% from the June 30th total of 13,920,000 shares. Approximately 3.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,330,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.5 days.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE ACI traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $19.76. 1,607,370 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,917,844. 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 stock has a market cap of $11.44 billion, a PE ratio of 8.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s fifty day moving average is $20.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.64. Albertsons Companies has a fifty-two week low of $19.33 and a fifty-two week high of $23.88.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.01). Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.41% and a return on equity of 56.01%. The business had revenue of $24.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 26th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 21.52%.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 48,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,123,000 after acquiring an additional 2,452 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 255.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,051 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $264,000. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 94,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,183,000 after buying an additional 8,558 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 135,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,126,000 after buying an additional 28,049 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Roth Capital raised Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Evercore ISI dropped 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. Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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. Finally, Roth Mkm raised Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.