Sei Investments Co. Increases Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 296.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 473,624 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 354,176 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.08% of Albertsons Companies worth $9,302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 4,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $179,000. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ACI shares. Evercore ISI raised 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 note on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Bank of America started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.50.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:ACI opened at $21.61 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $20.72 and its 200 day moving average is $19.65. The company has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a PE ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $22.05.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.79 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is presently 33.71%.

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.