Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sells 22,034 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank decreased its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 248,143 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,034 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $4,874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 91.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after buying an additional 4,101 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $179,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $199,000. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.3 %

ACI stock opened at $21.12 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $12.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $21.67. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.50.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACI has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.50.

Albertsons Companies 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.