Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lowered its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 18.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,530 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,328 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 78,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 14,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 47,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $941,000 after acquiring an additional 891 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 54.8% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the period. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 24,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $486,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE:ACI opened at $19.19 on Friday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $23.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $20.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The firm has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.46.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. Albertsons Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 36.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on ACI shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group raised Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $22.00 to $27.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Barclays started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.06.

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.