Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Given New $17.00 Price Target at Barclays

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) had its price target cut by analysts at Barclays from $19.00 to $17.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 4.28% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.08.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE ACI traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $16.30. 1,972,264 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,027,682. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.79. Albertsons Companies has a 1 year low of $15.80 and a 1 year high of $23.20. The company has a market cap of $8.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.48.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $19.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.18 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 36.39% and a net margin of 1.20%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.71 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.16 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total value of $1,935,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 338,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,548,601.15. This trade represents a 22.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Anuj Dhanda sold 230,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.25, for a total value of $4,427,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 300,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,786,107.25. The trade was a 43.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 130.4% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 827 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 185.1% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 98.4% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the second quarter valued at about $43,000. 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:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results beat on the bottom line and the company tightened/raised FY‑2025 EPS guidance to $2.08–$2.16 (above consensus), supporting near‑term earnings visibility. Q3 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted early AI integration benefits — an AI shopping assistant that increased basket size ≈10% — signaling potential for higher customer spend and margin improvement from digital tools. AI Shopping Assistant
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a $0.15 quarterly dividend (ex‑div Jan 23), maintaining a ~3.5–3.7% yield that supports income investors and offsets some growth concerns. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and coverage pieces highlight a deeper value narrative and retail‑media expansion as a multi‑year catalyst, suggesting longer‑term upside despite near‑term volatility. MarketBeat Valuation Piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and multiple writeups are available (MSN, Seeking Alpha, InsiderMonkey), useful for investors wanting management commentary and Q&A color. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus analyst targets still imply material upside on average, though they vary; this keeps the stock on the radar for value investors even as sentiment swings. Analyst Consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Management narrowed the full‑year outlook and warned that Medicare drug pricing changes and lower SNAP benefits will pressure annual sales and profits — a near‑term headwind to revenue and margin growth. Guidance & Medicare Impact
• Negative Sentiment: BMO lowered its price target from $25 to $23 (still “outperform”), a signal that some analysts are trimming upside expectations which can increase selling pressure. BMO Price Target Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group cut its target from $24 to $22 while maintaining an outperform rating, another downgrade that likely contributed to weaker intraday sentiment. Telsey Price Target Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed estimates ($19.12B vs $19.18B), reinforcing caution that top‑line elasticity remains a risk even as margins and EPS held up. Earnings Detail

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.