Royal Bank Of Canada Has Lowered Expectations for Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Stock Price

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) had its target price dropped by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $20.00 to $13.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price indicates a potential upside of 18.24% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings cut Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup cut 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $23.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Friday. 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, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.38.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

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

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its earnings results 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). Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. The business had revenue of $24.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 109.5% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,542,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,919,000 after buying an additional 806,336 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the first quarter valued at about $1,090,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 21.4% in the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 14,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 2,528 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 39.3% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 504,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,861,000 after acquiring an additional 142,457 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.4% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 14,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories 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.

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.