Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Purchased by Readystate Asset Management LP

Readystate Asset Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 63.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,234,823 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 480,587 shares during the period. Albertsons Companies accounts for about 0.9% of Readystate Asset Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Readystate Asset Management LP’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $28,401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $312,510,000. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 99.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 15,729,051 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,208,000 after acquiring an additional 7,848,362 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 95.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,614,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,181,000 after acquiring an additional 7,613,034 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 108.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,658,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $145,281,000 after acquiring an additional 3,470,188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies during the third quarter worth about $64,739,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock traded up $0.21 on Wednesday, reaching $20.43. The company had a trading volume of 1,606,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,483,915. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $20.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.70. The firm has a market cap of $11.77 billion, a PE ratio of 8.73, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.50. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.88 and a 52-week high of $23.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on ACI shares. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 12th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.85.

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.