ING Groep NV Reduces Stock Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

ING Groep NV decreased its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 58.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 433,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 620,800 shares during the period. ING Groep NV owned 0.07% of Albertsons Companies worth $8,018,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 13,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 16,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 565 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 60,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,198,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 2.2% during the first quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 50,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after buying an additional 1,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 45,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $890,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Melius Research raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Melius raised shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 18th. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note 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. Four 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, Albertsons Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.58.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $18.88 on Friday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.80 and a 52-week high of $23.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $18.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

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

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 28th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 28.07%.

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.