Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Has $5.16 Million Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 50.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 234,635 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 78,800 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $5,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Norges Bank bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $298,302,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 55.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,150,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $513,596,000 after buying an additional 9,308,940 shares during the last quarter. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 108.0% in the 4th quarter. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN now owns 5,766,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $113,258,000 after buying an additional 2,993,988 shares during the last quarter. Dendur Capital LP acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,100,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,310,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $713,131,000 after buying an additional 2,347,875 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were 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 directly owned 162,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $24.00 price target (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.06.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $20.01 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.20 billion, a PE ratio of 12.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.01. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 37.92%. The company had revenue of $24.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

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.