State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Purchases 24,482 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 196,477 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,482 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $4,519,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 255.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $52,000. CI Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 33.0% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 1,362 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded up $0.23 on Friday, hitting $20.14. 1,553,317 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,438,037. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $19.84 and a 52 week high of $23.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.60. The company has a market cap of $11.63 billion, a PE ratio of 9.03, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.50.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th 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 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 21.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ACI. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Roth Mkm raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Roth Capital raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.45.

Albertsons Companies 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.