JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Stock Price

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) had its target price reduced by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $20.00 to $14.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target points to a potential upside of 27.33% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 29th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $23.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Friday. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.38.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 3.9%

ACI opened at $10.99 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $14.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 137.44, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.42. Albertsons Companies has a fifty-two week low of $10.86 and a fifty-two week high of $20.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 45.59% and a net margin of 0.08%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 103.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.2% during the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 172.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,097 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2,406.4% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 4,909 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Albertsons Companies

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Albertsons delivered first-quarter EPS of $0.42, missing expectations, while revenue of $24.94 billion was slightly ahead of estimates. The company also highlighted continued growth in digital and pharmacy, but core grocery sales showed pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Management cut fiscal 2026 guidance, now projecting adjusted EPS of $1.75-$1.85 and lower sales growth, citing cautious consumers and weaker grocery spending. The company also signaled fiscal 2026 adjusted EBITDA of $3.55 billion-$3.625 billion, alongside $200 million in expected ACI Edge run-rate benefits as it pushes a turnaround plan. Albertsons Companies, Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons warned that consumers are pulling back on grocery spending, and multiple reports described softer same-store grocery demand as the main reason for the stock decline. Albertsons warns of softer grocery demand as consumers pull back
• Negative Sentiment: Several brokerages reduced price targets after the results, including Goldman Sachs to $16, JPMorgan to $14, Barclays to $12, RBC to $13, Telsey to $13, and Wells Fargo to $11, reflecting more cautious expectations for near-term performance.

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.