Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.50.

Several brokerages have commented on ACI. Citigroup initiated coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America assumed 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. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the fourth 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. WealthCollab LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 446.0% during the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the period. Finally, Ossiam purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $93,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $21.95 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Albertsons Companies has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $23.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $20.99 and its 200 day moving average is $19.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The business’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 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

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.