Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Stock Rating Lowered by Wells Fargo & Company

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report released on Thursday. They currently have a $11.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would indicate a potential downside of 3.46% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on ACI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.67.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock traded down $3.21 during trading on Thursday, reaching $11.39. 27,875,259 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,382,185. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $15.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.43. The company has a market cap of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.77, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.86. Albertsons Companies has a 1-year low of $11.02 and a 1-year high of $20.81.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.88 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 42.75% and a net margin of 0.26%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ACI. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,330,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $675,305,000 after purchasing an additional 5,110,777 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $388,089,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 11.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,013,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,855,000 after acquiring an additional 1,583,741 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 101.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,687,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $200,678,000 after purchasing an additional 5,873,759 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 11,130,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,109,000 after purchasing an additional 183,900 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Albertsons Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Albertsons continues to invest in pricing and digital initiatives to defend market share and improve competitiveness over time, which could help offset softer consumer demand.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company announced a new regional operating model and an updated merchandising structure, changes that may improve efficiency but do not yet provide a near-term financial boost. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Albertsons also announced that President and CFO Sharon McCollam plans to retire later this year, a leadership change that may create some uncertainty but does not appear to be the main driver of the selloff. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal Q1 EPS came in at $0.42, below analyst expectations of $0.55, signaling weaker-than-expected profitability. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons lowered its FY2026 guidance to EPS of $1.75-$1.85, below the market expectation of about $2.14, reinforcing concerns that earnings momentum is slowing. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Management also cut its sales outlook as grocery shoppers grow more cautious and reduce spending, which suggests softer top-line growth ahead. Article Title

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies, Inc (NYSE: ACI) is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, operating a diversified portfolio of grocery store banners. Founded in 1939 by Joe Albertson in Boise, Idaho, the company has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. Its core business activities encompass the sale of fresh produce, meat, bakery items, deli offerings, pharmacy services, and general merchandise. The company’s retail operations are complemented by an in-house private-label program, featuring brands such as O Organics, Open Nature, and Lucerne, which cater to a range of customer preferences and price points.

Throughout its history, Albertsons Companies has pursued growth via mergers and partnerships.