Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Stock Price Down 3%

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) were down 3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $18.30 and last traded at $18.30. Approximately 1,444,425 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 2,994,242 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.86.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.45.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.28, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.01). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 56.01% and a net margin of 1.41%. The business had revenue of $24.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 21.52%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the second quarter worth $687,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 35.5% in the second quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 12,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 3,274 shares during the period. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the second quarter valued at about $440,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 17.2% in the second quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 360,005 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,110,000 after buying an additional 52,832 shares during the period. Finally, Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the second quarter worth about $680,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

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.