Principal Securities Inc. Purchases New Shares in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 255.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. CI Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $202,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $20.48 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a PE ratio of 9.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.38. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $19.84 and a 12-month high of $23.88.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51. The firm had revenue of $18.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.40 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 68.02% and a net margin of 1.64%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 21.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Roth Capital upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.45.

Insider Activity at Albertsons Companies

In related news, CAO Robert Bruce Larson sold 24,362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.24, for a total transaction of $493,086.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 50,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,016,877.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Albertsons Companies news, insider Anuj Dhanda sold 100,000 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.35, for a total value of $2,035,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 365,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,433,793.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Robert Bruce Larson sold 24,362 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.24, for a total value of $493,086.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 50,241 shares in the company, valued at $1,016,877.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Albertsons Companies

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.