Albertsons Companies Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ACI)

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 9,776 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 97% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,965 call options.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE ACI opened at $22.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Albertsons Companies has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month high of $23.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $21.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.20. The firm has a market cap of $12.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.93.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 322,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,929,000 after purchasing an additional 25,868 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 10.0% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 13,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 1,197 shares during the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the third quarter worth $199,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth $242,000. Finally, Winthrop Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $1,011,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.