Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Invests $318,000 in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 16,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $318,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in 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. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 4,101 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth $179,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the third quarter worth $199,000. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE ACI opened at $21.46 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.47. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $21.93. The firm has a market cap of $12.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.79 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $26.00 target price for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.21.

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.