25,432 Shares in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Bought by Econ Financial Services Corp

Econ Financial Services Corp bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 25,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $499,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 88.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 16,841,582 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,232,000 after purchasing an additional 7,887,688 shares in the last quarter. Parsifal Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter. Parsifal Capital Management LP now owns 8,546,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,946,000 after acquiring an additional 1,585,899 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 25.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,170,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,239,978 shares in the last quarter. Trium Capital LLP bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $23,678,000. Finally, Anson Funds Management LP raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 973.0% during the third quarter. Anson Funds Management LP now owns 1,190,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,994,000 after purchasing an additional 1,079,246 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $20.24 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $21.75. The company has a market cap of $11.73 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50 day moving average of $19.65 and a 200 day moving average of $19.34.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The business had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.79 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.21.

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.