Gladius Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 12,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 38.7% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,426,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,669,000 after purchasing an additional 956,744 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,624,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,337,000 after buying an additional 924,519 shares during the last quarter. Lubert Adler Management Company LP lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 47.1% during the 2nd quarter. Lubert Adler Management Company LP now owns 2,664,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,629,000 after acquiring an additional 852,857 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 546.6% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 954,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,849,000 after acquiring an additional 806,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 84.7% in the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,598,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,278,000 after acquiring an additional 733,000 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $18.88 on Friday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.80 and a 1 year high of $23.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $18.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.58. The firm has a market cap of $10.94 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.49.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 49.50% and a net margin of 1.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on ACI. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Melius upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.58.

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.