Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Downgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group to Neutral

Posted by Francis Steltz on Oct 15th, 2026

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. They currently have a $13.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target suggests a potential downside of 0.42% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ACI. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $12.00 price target (down from $16.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $13.00 target price (down from $22.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $14.62.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on ACI

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $13.05 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.89, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -118.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.40. Albertsons Companies has a 1-year low of $10.86 and a 1-year high of $20.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $12.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $18.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.87 billion. Albertsons Companies had a positive return on equity of 52.17% and a negative net margin of 0.06%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 1.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Thomas Moriarty bought 170,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $1,962,455.00. Following the transaction, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Susan Morris purchased 39,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.42 per share, for a total transaction of $450,050.78. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,092,956 shares in the company, valued at $12,481,557.52. This represents a 3.74% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased 218,909 shares of company stock worth $2,515,826 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,013,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,855,000 after acquiring an additional 1,583,741 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,179,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,258,000 after purchasing an additional 430,101 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 2,321,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,407,000 after purchasing an additional 285,280 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 53.4% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 2,209,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,896,000 after purchasing an additional 769,503 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 43.8% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,899,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,363,000 after purchasing an additional 578,401 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Albertsons Companies

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

Positive Sentiment: Albertsons beat second-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings expectations, reporting $0.36 per share versus the $0.33 consensus, while revenue of $18.89 billion was slightly above forecasts. Management also outlined an expanded cost-reduction program targeting approximately $2 billion in savings and plans to hold an investor day in spring 2027. Albertsons Second-Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target from $13 to $16 and upgraded the stock to “outperform,” signaling confidence that the ACI Edge turnaround strategy and business review could unlock value.
Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share, equivalent to $0.68 annually and an approximately 5.2% yield, which may support income-oriented investors.
Positive Sentiment: Albertsons announced plans for a new store in Valley Center, California, expected to open in spring 2028. The location should add long-term sales, pharmacy revenue and local jobs, though the financial effect is distant. Albertsons Valley Center Store Announcement
Neutral Sentiment: New executive chair Meg Whitman is taking a more active role as Albertsons reviews its strategy, cost structure and business portfolio. The review could lead to asset sales or other strategic changes, but its outcome remains uncertain.
Negative Sentiment: Albertsons withdrew its fiscal 2026 outlook while conducting the review, reducing visibility for investors. The company cited the need to move faster on its turnaround as it addresses mixed margins and weaker consumer spending.
Negative Sentiment: Despite the adjusted earnings beat, reported profit declined sharply year over year, revenue was essentially flat, and the company posted a negative net margin. Bank of America reaffirmed its “underperform” rating and cut its price target from $16 to $12, warning of near-term earnings pressure.

About Albertsons Companies

(Get Free Report)

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.