Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Lowered to Hold Rating by UBS Group

UBS Group cut shares of Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

ACI has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Albertsons Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $23.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.31.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI stock opened at $11.63 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 145.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.42. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $10.86 and a one year high of $20.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $14.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.28.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.12). Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. The company had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. The firm’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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 850.00%.

Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies

In related news, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty purchased 170,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $11.51 per share, for a total transaction of $1,962,455.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 308,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. This trade represents a 123.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,707.5% during the first 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 period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $388,089,000. Strategic Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $2,858,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 5,110,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, III Capital Management increased its stake 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 buying an additional 95,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

More Albertsons Companies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Executive bought $1.96 million of ACI stock. EVP Thomas Moriarty purchased 170,500 shares at an average price of $11.51, more than doubling his direct ownership. The transaction may signal confidence that the stock is undervalued. Thomas Moriarty insider purchase
• Positive Sentiment: ACI Edge could generate approximately $200 million in savings. Albertsons’ technology and operating initiative is expected to improve efficiency and reduce costs, potentially supporting earnings if implementation succeeds. Albertsons ACI Edge savings
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup reaffirmed its Neutral rating. Citi’s unchanged stance indicates that analysts see limited evidence of an immediate turnaround, while its $11 price target remains close to the current trading level. Citigroup reaffirms Neutral rating
• Negative Sentiment: UBS downgraded ACI from Strong Buy to Hold. The downgrade follows a reduction in its price target to $12 from $20, implying only modest potential upside and reflecting diminished confidence in the near-term recovery. UBS downgrades Albertsons
• Negative Sentiment: Recent results and guidance remain the main overhang. Albertsons reported quarterly EPS of $0.42 versus the $0.54 consensus estimate and reduced its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS outlook amid consumer weakness. Revenue slightly exceeded expectations but grew only 0.2% year over year. Its thin net margin and high debt-to-equity ratio further increase investor concern.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal investigations add risk. Law firms announced investigations into whether Albertsons misled investors about its sales and earnings outlook before the results and guidance reduction. The notices create potential legal and reputational risk, although they do not establish wrongdoing. Albertsons investigation notice

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.