Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Short Interest Update

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) saw a large decrease in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 10,800,000 shares, a decrease of 22.7% from the October 15th total of 13,970,000 shares. Approximately 2.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,440,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 1.2 %

ACI traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $18.88. 2,230,395 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,362,057. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.49. Albertsons Companies has a 52 week low of $17.80 and a 52 week high of $23.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $18.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.25% and a return on equity of 49.50%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Monday, October 28th were paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 28.07%.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 133.3% in the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the second quarter worth $126,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the second quarter worth $150,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, October 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 11th. Melius Research upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.58.

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

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.