River Road Asset Management LLC Sells 21,188 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

River Road Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 271,620 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,188 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $5,020,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cannon Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the third quarter worth about $804,000. Private Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2.4% in the third quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 69,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,280,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 9.0% in the third quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 2,152,952 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,787,000 after acquiring an additional 178,530 shares during the period. Palliser Capital UK Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 39.3% in the third quarter. Palliser Capital UK Ltd now owns 771,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,257,000 after acquiring an additional 217,733 shares during the period. Finally, Fiducient Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $234,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $18.54 on Wednesday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.80 and a 52-week high of $23.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.90. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $18.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.64. The firm has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 10.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.49.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 49.50% and a net margin of 1.25%. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 28th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 28.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ACI shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Melius raised Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.58.

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.