Retirement Planning Group LLC Reduces Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Retirement Planning Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 6.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,114 shares of the company’s stock after selling 708 shares during the quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 2,196,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,138,000 after acquiring an additional 43,532 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth $11,800,000. NINE MASTS CAPITAL Ltd purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $746,000. ORBA Wealth Advisors L.L.C. purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $433,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 714,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,028,000 after buying an additional 43,554 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total value of $1,015,122.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 162,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.26% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE ACI opened at $21.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $23.20. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.40 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The firm had revenue of $18.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.36.

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.