Murchinson Ltd. Has $6.78 Million Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Murchinson Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 50.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 343,264 shares of the company’s stock after selling 343,264 shares during the period. Albertsons Companies makes up 1.2% of Murchinson Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Murchinson Ltd. owned approximately 0.06% of Albertsons Companies worth $6,779,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ACI. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the second quarter worth $415,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,923,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,236,000 after buying an additional 362,813 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 4.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 115,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,285,000 after acquiring an additional 4,492 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 4.1% during the second quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 108,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,148,000 after acquiring an additional 4,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 546.6% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 954,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,849,000 after acquiring an additional 806,800 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:ACI opened at $18.53 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.16. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.80 and a 52-week high of $23.47. The company has a market cap of $10.73 billion, a PE ratio of 8.31, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.88.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.54.

Albertsons Companies 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.