Barclays Lowers Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Price Target to $12.00

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Barclays from $17.00 to $12.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 9.14% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on ACI. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased 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 note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $13.00 price objective (down from $22.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Albertsons Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $18.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.38.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 3.9%

ACI stock opened at $10.99 on Friday. Albertsons Companies has a 12 month low of $10.86 and a 12 month high of $20.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $14.83 and its 200 day moving average is $16.36. The company has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a PE ratio of 137.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.84 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. Albertsons Companies’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 5,110,777 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $388,089,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position 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 valued at $255,855,000 after acquiring an additional 1,583,741 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 5,873,759 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 11,130,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,109,000 after acquiring an additional 183,900 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about 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.

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.