Telsey Advisory Group Cuts Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Price Target to $22.00

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) had its price objective lowered by analysts at Telsey Advisory Group from $24.00 to $22.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 36.62% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on ACI. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Tigress Financial raised their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.54.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 5.9%

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. Albertsons Companies has a 1 year low of $15.80 and a 1 year high of $23.20. The firm 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 (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $19.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.18 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.20% and a return on equity of 36.39%. The company’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.71 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.16 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Anuj Dhanda sold 230,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 300,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,786,107.25. This represents a 43.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total value of $1,935,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 338,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,548,601.15. This represents a 22.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $320,613,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $81,463,000. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 6,541.5% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 3,723,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,882,000 after purchasing an additional 3,667,550 shares in the last quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc CT acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies during the second quarter worth $65,530,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 34.4% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 10,578,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,542,000 after buying an additional 2,705,368 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results beat on the bottom line and showed modest revenue growth, confirming underlying sales strength in pharmacy and digital channels; investors may view the beat as evidence the core business is resilient. Albertsons® Companies, Inc. Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company says its AI shopping assistant increased customers’ basket size by ~10%, supporting management’s digital/loyalty strategy that can boost revenue per customer and margin over time. Albertsons Says AI Shopping Assistant Increased Customers’ Basket Size by 10%
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a $0.15 quarterly dividend (ex‑div Jan. 23), supporting the income case for long‑term investors and underpinning yield‑oriented demand. Albertsons® Companies Announces Common Stock Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses highlighting valuation and retail‑media expansion argue the company is a deep‑value play if management can grow higher‑margin ad revenue; this could be a multi‑quarter catalyst but is not an immediate earnings offset. Assessing Albertsons Companies (ACI) Valuation As Retail Media Expansion Gains Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary frames ACI as “deep value” with institutional accumulation noted — bullish narrative that may support a rebound but depends on execution and clearer catalysts. Albertsons: Deep Value on the Surface, Opportunity Beneath?
• Negative Sentiment: Management narrowed its full‑year outlook as Medicare prescription‑pricing changes take effect, reducing near‑term pharmacy margin expectations — a primary reason for the stock weakness as investors re‑price future earnings. Albertsons Narrows Full-Year Forecast as Medicare Pricing Changes Take Effect
• Negative Sentiment: Company warned of tepid annual sales and profit driven by lower drug prices and a SNAP benefits headwind, which directly pressures revenue and margins in the pharmacy segment — investors are focused on the hit to near‑term cash flow. Albertsons forecasts tepid annual sales, profit on lower drug prices, SNAP hit

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.