Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. Acquires Shares of 17,270 Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 17,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $179,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $185,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $199,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.21.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.1 %

ACI stock opened at $21.05 on Friday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $21.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a fifty day moving average of $20.21 and a 200-day moving average of $19.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The company had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.79 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.