California Public Employees Retirement System Cuts Stock Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 18.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 870,519 shares of the company’s stock after selling 203,187 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.18% of Albertsons Companies worth $14,834,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Gallacher Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $630,000. Twin Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 43,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 721 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 3.2% during the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 387,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,610,000 after buying an additional 12,089 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 36.8% during the first quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 19,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,000 after buying an additional 5,197 shares during the period. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 3.1% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 121,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,073,000 after buying an additional 3,691 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Albertsons Companies

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

• Negative Sentiment: ACI missed earnings expectations, posting adjusted EPS of $0.42 versus the $0.55 consensus, even though revenue came in slightly above estimates. Albertsons® Companies, Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Management lowered fiscal 2026 guidance, now expecting EPS of $1.75 to $1.85, below prior expectations and below Wall Street estimates, signaling softer profitability ahead. Albertsons® Companies, Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons also cut its sales forecast, saying lower-income and budget-conscious shoppers are pulling back on grocery spending, which points to continued pressure on core supermarket demand. Albertsons stock plunges as it says weaker grocery spending will cut into sales and earnings
• Negative Sentiment: The company said gross margins are under pressure and identical-store sales are declining, suggesting the business is struggling to translate revenue into profit growth. Albertsons Companies Has Finally Gotten Me To Pull The Trigger
• Neutral Sentiment: Albertsons announced the retirement of President and CFO Sharon McCollam and unveiled a new regional operating model under its “ACI Edge” initiative, aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency over time. Albertsons® Companies Advances the ACI Edge with New Regional Operating Model and Merch United
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts note the stock is now very inexpensive and that Albertsons still generates strong cash flow, which may help limit downside if management can stabilize margins and demand. Albertsons Companies Has Finally Gotten Me To Pull The Trigger

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on ACI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $18.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 29th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.67.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 21.9%

Shares of ACI opened at $11.40 on Friday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.02 and a fifty-two week high of $20.81. The business has a 50-day moving average of $14.94 and a 200 day moving average of $16.39. The firm has a market cap of $5.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $24.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.84 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.26% and a return on equity of 42.75%. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 212.50%.

About Albertsons Companies

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.