Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI)

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 37,881 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 258% compared to the typical daily volume of 10,577 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI raised their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Melius raised Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.10.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 4.9 %

ACI stock opened at $19.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.08 billion, a PE ratio of 11.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. Albertsons Companies has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month high of $23.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $18.85 and its 200-day moving average is $19.39.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.25% and a return on equity of 49.50%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 28th were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 28th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 28.07%.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,801 shares during the period. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the second quarter valued at $126,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $150,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2,243.9% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $177,000 after purchasing an additional 8,594 shares in 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.