Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 16,530,000 shares, an increase of 32.6% from the August 15th total of 12,470,000 shares. Currently, 4.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,940,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.6 days.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:ACI traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $18.86. The company had a trading volume of 2,764,620 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,003,723. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.88. Albertsons Companies has a fifty-two week low of $17.80 and a fifty-two week high of $23.62. The firm has a market cap of $10.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49. The business’s fifty day moving average is $19.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.22.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.01). Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.41% and a return on equity of 56.01%. The firm had revenue of $24.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.45.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 1st quarter worth $41,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 133.3% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

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.