Islay Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Islay Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 39,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $782,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its position 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 91.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 4,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $179,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI stock opened at $21.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $23.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The company’s 50 day moving average is $20.99 and its 200 day moving average is $19.76.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This is an increase from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is presently 33.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 target price for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.50.

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.