Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Sets New 1-Year Low on Disappointing Earnings

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock traded as low as $11.68 and last traded at $11.6860, with a volume of 3511678 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.60.

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.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 850.00%.

Key Headlines Impacting Albertsons Companies

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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ACI. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $23.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Norges Bank bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $388,089,000. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 101.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,687,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $200,678,000 after buying an additional 5,873,759 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 62.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,429,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,595,000 after buying an additional 5,159,905 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,330,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $675,305,000 after buying an additional 5,110,777 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 113.0% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,749,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,546,000 after buying an additional 2,519,432 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 3.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.36.

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

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.