Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Cut to Neutral at The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has $13.00 price objective on the stock.

ACI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective (down from $22.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $23.00 to $12.00 in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $12.00 target price (down from $16.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $14.62.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

ACI stock opened at $13.11 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.89. The firm has a market cap of $6.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -119.15, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.16. Albertsons Companies has a 12-month low of $10.86 and a 12-month high of $20.00.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a positive return on equity of 52.17% and a negative net margin of 0.06%. The firm had revenue of $18.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.87 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 6th. Investors of record on Friday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 23rd. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently -618.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Susan Morris purchased 39,409 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.42 per share, for a total transaction of $450,050.78. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,092,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,481,557.52. This trade represents a 3.74% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Thomas Moriarty purchased 170,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $1,962,455.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 308,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. This represents a 123.15% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 218,909 shares of company stock worth $2,515,826. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 2,707.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 123,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,111,000 after purchasing an additional 119,455 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,910,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,531,000. III Capital Management increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 78.9% during the 4th quarter. III Capital Management now owns 215,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,698,000 after purchasing an additional 95,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $3,658,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Albertsons Companies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Albertsons Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC raised its price target for Albertsons to $16, signaling improved potential upside from current trading levels. RBC raises target for Albertsons stock to USD 16.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Albertsons appointed Harmit Singh, Levi Strauss’ chief financial officer, to its board. The addition brings an experienced consumer and retail executive to the board, although the announcement did not include a change to financial expectations. Albertsons Appoints Harmit Singh to Board of Directors
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Hold rating on ACI, indicating limited conviction that the stock will materially outperform or underperform in the near term. Wells Fargo Remains a Hold on Albertsons Companies
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons paused its financial guidance while undertaking a multiyear business review. Same-store sales declined 0.8% in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, highlighting pressure on customer demand and increasing uncertainty around the company’s outlook. Albertsons: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America reaffirmed its Underperform rating, reinforcing concerns about Albertsons’ operating performance and investment outlook. Bank of America Reaffirms Underperform Rating for Albertsons
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs downgraded ACI from Buy to Neutral with a $13 price target, while JPMorgan cut its rating from Overweight to Neutral with a $14 target. The downgrades suggest analysts see a more balanced risk-reward profile after recent weakness. JPMorgan Downgrades Albertsons to Neutral

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc is a U.S. food and drug retailer headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The company operates supermarkets, pharmacies and related retail businesses under banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, ACME, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Carrs and Haggen.

Its stores offer groceries, fresh produce, meat and seafood, bakery and deli items, household products, health and beauty products, and pharmacy services. Albertsons also provides private-label products, fuel at select locations, grocery delivery and pickup, digital shopping tools, and customer loyalty programs.

The company’s history traces to 1939, when Joe Albertson opened the first Albertsons store in Boise.