Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $24.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.84 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. Albertsons Companies’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. Albertsons Companies updated its FY 2026 guidance to 1.750-1.850 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Albertsons Companies’ conference call:

• Albertsons reported identical sales down 0.8%, with adjusted EBITDA of $1.013 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.42, and management said results fell short of expectations.
• The company is launching the ACI Edge operating model, cutting from 11 divisions to four regions and centralizing Center Store merchandising to improve speed, accountability, and execution.
• Albertsons expects the ACI Edge and related productivity actions to generate about $200 million in annual incremental benefits, with most savings realized in fiscal 2027, helping fund reinvestment in value and personalization.
• Digital sales grew 13% and penetration reached nearly 10.5%, while management said e-commerce was profitable in the quarter, supported by better fulfillment productivity and stronger customer engagement.
• The company lowered its fiscal 2026 outlook, now expecting adjusted EBITDA of $3.55 billion-$3.625 billion and EPS of $1.75-$1.85, citing softer unit trends, lower-income consumer pressure, and higher customer-value investments.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:ACI opened at $10.99 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.36. Albertsons Companies has a 52-week low of $10.86 and a 52-week high of $20.47. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a PE ratio of 137.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.42.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 850.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ACI shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $18.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup lowered their price target on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 29th. BMO Capital Markets cut Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 5,873,759 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 62.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,429,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,595,000 after buying an additional 5,159,905 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 113.0% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,749,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,546,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519,432 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 267.7% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 2,240,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,229,000 after buying an additional 1,631,048 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 104.8% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 2,525,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,363,000 after acquiring an additional 1,292,121 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies News Summary

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.