Factorial Partners LLC Purchases 96,500 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Factorial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 839.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 108,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,500 shares during the period. Factorial Partners LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $2,121,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 959 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $179,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $185,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $199,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

ACI stock opened at $21.05 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $20.18 and a 200-day moving average of $19.46. The company has a market cap of $12.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.51. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month high of $21.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on ACI shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.21.

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.