JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Price Target to $14.00

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) had its target price reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $20.00 to $14.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

ACI has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $11.00 in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Seven equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.38.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:ACI opened at $10.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $14.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.35. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $10.86 and a one year high of $20.47. 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.

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

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. 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 presently 850.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 2,707.5% in the first 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 in the 4th quarter valued at $388,089,000. Strategic Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $2,858,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted 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 valued at $675,305,000 after acquiring an additional 5,110,777 shares during the period. Finally, III Capital Management boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 78.9% during the fourth 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. 71.35% of the stock is owned by 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.

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.