Stevens Capital Management LP Takes Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ACI. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 495.3% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 81,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,596,000 after purchasing an additional 67,618 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $2,292,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 296.5% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 473,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,302,000 after acquiring an additional 354,176 shares during the period. Pecaut & CO. acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $597,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 39.4% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 47,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after acquiring an additional 13,328 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $20.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $22.05.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ACI shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.50.

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.