Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Purchases 34,023 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 68.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,895 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,023 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $1,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 76.8% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 1,816 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $185,000. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $199,000. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $223,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACI has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.00.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:ACI opened at $19.55 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $11.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.98, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.51. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $21.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $19.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.34.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio 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.