Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Rating Lowered to “Equal Weight” at Wells Fargo & Company

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) was downgraded by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $11.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $18.00. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 0.05% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.38.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 3.9%

Shares of ACI opened at $10.99 on Thursday. Albertsons Companies has a 52 week low of $10.86 and a 52 week high of $20.47. The firm has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 137.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $24.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 45.59% and a net margin of 0.08%.The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ACI. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2,707.5% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 123,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,111,000 after buying an additional 119,455 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $388,089,000. Strategic Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,858,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,330,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $675,305,000 after acquiring an additional 5,110,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, III Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 78.9% during the 4th quarter. III Capital Management now owns 215,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,698,000 after acquiring an additional 95,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

More Albertsons Companies News

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Albertsons delivered first-quarter EPS of $0.42, missing expectations, while revenue of $24.94 billion was slightly ahead of estimates. The company also highlighted continued growth in digital and pharmacy, but core grocery sales showed pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Management cut fiscal 2026 guidance, now projecting adjusted EPS of $1.75-$1.85 and lower sales growth, citing cautious consumers and weaker grocery spending. The company also signaled fiscal 2026 adjusted EBITDA of $3.55 billion-$3.625 billion, alongside $200 million in expected ACI Edge run-rate benefits as it pushes a turnaround plan. Albertsons Companies, Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons warned that consumers are pulling back on grocery spending, and multiple reports described softer same-store grocery demand as the main reason for the stock decline. Albertsons warns of softer grocery demand as consumers pull back
• Negative Sentiment: Several brokerages reduced price targets after the results, including Goldman Sachs to $16, JPMorgan to $14, Barclays to $12, RBC to $13, Telsey to $13, and Wells Fargo to $11, reflecting more cautious expectations for near-term performance.

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.