Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Receives “Buy” Rating from Roth Capital

Roth Capital reiterated their buy rating on shares of Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $24.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $23.00.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $31.00 target price on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.20.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $20.47 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $23.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.79 billion, a PE ratio of 12.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $21.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.22.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.01. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 1.18%. The company had revenue of $24.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 25th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is presently 36.59%.

Insider Activity at Albertsons Companies

In other news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total value of $1,015,122.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 162,569 shares in the company, valued at $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $189,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the second quarter worth $43,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 11.3% in the second quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 28,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 2,901 shares during the last quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.9% in the second quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 26,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 20.9% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,624 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 627 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

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.