Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Stock Rating Upgraded by Melius Research

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) was upgraded by research analysts at Melius Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a $24.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research’s price target points to a potential upside of 29.38% from the stock’s previous close.

ACI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Melius upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.58.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE ACI opened at $18.55 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67. Albertsons Companies has a 1 year low of $17.80 and a 1 year high of $23.47. The company has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 8.32, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.48. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $19.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.80.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.41% and a return on equity of 56.01%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.25 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 13,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. GAM Holding AG increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 33.3% during the third quarter. GAM Holding AG now owns 20,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $370,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 76.8% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 1,816 shares in the last quarter. Bfsg LLC lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 12.9% in the third quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 19,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 2,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $9,023,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.