Short Interest in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Expands By 12.6%

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 18,610,000 shares, an increase of 12.6% from the August 31st total of 16,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,150,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.9 days. Approximately 4.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ACI shares. Melius Research assumed coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $19.00 target price on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.54.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.1 %

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $18.48 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $19.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67. The firm has a market cap of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49. Albertsons Companies has a 52 week low of $17.80 and a 52 week high of $23.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.01). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 56.01% and a net margin of 1.41%. The firm had revenue of $24.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 21.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 190,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,385,000 after buying an additional 7,687 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 489,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,268,000 after purchasing an additional 14,263 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $411,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,147,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 873,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,085,000 after purchasing an additional 20,300 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.