Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Stock Bumped Down to “Neutral” by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) was downgraded by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. They presently have a $14.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 5.26% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $12.00 target price (down from $16.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $13.00 target price (down from $22.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down from $17.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Albertsons Companies from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $14.62.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:ACI traded up $0.22 on Thursday, hitting $13.30. The stock had a trading volume of 1,842,360 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,737,073. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.89. The stock has a market cap of $6.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -120.90, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $12.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.20. Albertsons Companies has a 1-year low of $10.86 and a 1-year high of $20.00.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $18.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.87 billion. Albertsons Companies had a negative net margin of 0.06% and a positive return on equity of 52.17%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Albertsons Companies news, CFO Sharon Mccollam bought 9,000 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.48 per share, for a total transaction of $103,320.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 567,051 shares in the company, valued at $6,509,745.48. This represents a 1.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Susan Morris bought 39,409 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $11.42 per share, for a total transaction of $450,050.78. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,092,956 shares in the company, valued at $12,481,557.52. This represents a 3.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired a total of 218,909 shares of company stock worth $2,515,826 in the last ninety days. 1.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,013,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,855,000 after acquiring an additional 1,583,741 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,179,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,258,000 after acquiring an additional 430,101 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 2,036,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,694,000 after acquiring an additional 158,225 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 43.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,899,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,363,000 after acquiring an additional 578,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 53.4% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 2,209,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,896,000 after acquiring an additional 769,503 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Albertsons reported second-quarter revenue of approximately $18.9 billion and adjusted earnings of $0.36 per share, exceeding analysts’ estimates of $0.33. Management also introduced an accelerated turnaround strategy, including an expanded $2 billion cost-reduction program and an investor day planned for spring 2027. Albertsons Reports $18.9 Billion in Q2 Revenue and Launches Accelerated Turnaround Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target from $13 to $16 and upgraded the shares to “outperform,” implying meaningful potential upside based on the company’s recovery prospects. Royal Bank of Canada Raises Albertsons Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Albertsons maintained its quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share, equivalent to a $0.68 annualized payout and an approximately 5.2% yield. The company also announced plans for a new Valley Center, California, store expected to open in spring 2028. Albertsons Announces New Valley Center Store
• Neutral Sentiment: Albertsons withdrew its full-year outlook and launched a broad business review as new executive chair Meg Whitman and management seek to speed up the ACI Edge turnaround. The review could unlock value, but removing guidance reduces visibility for investors. Albertsons Plans Expanded Cost Program and Investor Day
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs downgraded ACI from “buy” to “neutral” with a $13 price target, while JPMorgan cut its rating from “overweight” to “neutral,” citing a more cautious outlook. Bank of America reaffirmed its “underperform” rating and reduced its target from $16 to $12, warning of near-term earnings pressure. Wells Fargo also maintained a “hold” rating. JPMorgan Downgrades Albertsons to Neutral

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc is a U.S. food and drug retailer headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The company operates supermarkets, pharmacies and related retail businesses under banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, ACME, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Carrs and Haggen.

Its stores offer groceries, fresh produce, meat and seafood, bakery and deli items, household products, health and beauty products, and pharmacy services. Albertsons also provides private-label products, fuel at select locations, grocery delivery and pickup, digital shopping tools, and customer loyalty programs.

The company’s history traces to 1939, when Joe Albertson opened the first Albertsons store in Boise.