Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.6923.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ACI shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Anuj Dhanda sold 230,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.25, for a total transaction of $4,427,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 338,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,548,601.15. The trade was a 22.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ACI. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 1.9% during the second quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 26,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $571,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 78,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,690,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 17,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $384,000 after acquiring an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Okabena Investment Services Inc. boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Okabena Investment Services Inc. now owns 63,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 83,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,791,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Albertsons Companies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat consensus — ACI reported $0.72 EPS vs. $0.67 expected and delivered modest revenue growth (+1.9% y/y), showing operating resilience that supports valuation and cash flow expectations. Albertsons Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: FY2025 EPS guidance raised/updated — management set FY2025 EPS at $2.080–$2.16 versus a consensus near $2.00, which is a constructive signal on profit outlook and helped underpin analyst estimates. Press Release with Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — board approved a $0.15 quarterly dividend (yield ~3.7%), reinforcing income appeal for yield-focused investors and supporting the stock’s value narrative. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Early AI improvements — the company said its AI shopping assistant increased customers’ basket size by ~10%, highlighting digital initiatives and retail-media/loyalty monetization that could lift margins over time. AI Shopping Assistant Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Top-line mixed — revenue was up y/y but narrowly missed the Street ($19.12B vs. $19.18B expected), so while margins/earnings beat, sales momentum is modest and bears watching for sustainability. Q3 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/coverage pieces highlight mixed views — some note upside potential and deep-value metrics while others urge caution; the earnings call transcript and analyst notes provide detail but no clear consensus catalyst yet. Earnings Call Transcript Zacks Q3 Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and technical concerns — commentary from some outlets frames guidance/quarter commentary as cautious and highlights bearish price action/technical weakness; that tone likely contributed to the stock trading down as investors digest whether improvement is durable. MarketBeat Analysis

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $16.10 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.79. 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 company has a market cap of $8.85 billion, a PE ratio of 9.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.48. Albertsons Companies has a 12 month low of $15.80 and a 12 month high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $18.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.89 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.20% and a return on equity of 36.39%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.060-2.190 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.50%.

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.