Olympiad Research LP Sells 18,247 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Olympiad Research LP trimmed its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 48.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,423 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,247 shares during the quarter. Olympiad Research LP’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Management Group Inc. boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 2,196,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,138,000 after purchasing an additional 43,532 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 9.2% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,117,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,646,000 after acquiring an additional 94,300 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 670,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,395,000 after acquiring an additional 36,154 shares in the last quarter. K2 Principal Fund L.P. raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 68.4% during the third quarter. K2 Principal Fund L.P. now owns 270,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,999,000 after acquiring an additional 109,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $1,906,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI stock opened at $20.54 on Friday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $21.75. The stock has a market cap of $11.90 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $20.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.43.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACI has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore ISI lifted 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. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America assumed 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.21.

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.