Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Equities research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on ACI. Tigress Financial upped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.08.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded up $0.29 during trading on Thursday, hitting $16.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,793,865 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,370,956. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $8.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50-day moving average of $17.55 and a 200-day moving average of $18.79. Albertsons Companies has a 12 month low of $15.80 and a 12 month high of $23.20.

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

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $4,427,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 338,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,548,601.15. This trade represents a 22.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. West Oak Capital LLC purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 130.4% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 827 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 185.1% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 1,057 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 98.4% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the second quarter worth $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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: Q3 results beat on the bottom line and the company tightened/raised FY‑2025 EPS guidance to $2.08–$2.16 (above consensus), supporting near‑term earnings visibility. Q3 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted early AI integration benefits — an AI shopping assistant that increased basket size ≈10% — signaling potential for higher customer spend and margin improvement from digital tools. AI Shopping Assistant
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a $0.15 quarterly dividend (ex‑div Jan 23), maintaining a ~3.5–3.7% yield that supports income investors and offsets some growth concerns. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and coverage pieces highlight a deeper value narrative and retail‑media expansion as a multi‑year catalyst, suggesting longer‑term upside despite near‑term volatility. MarketBeat Valuation Piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and multiple writeups are available (MSN, Seeking Alpha, InsiderMonkey), useful for investors wanting management commentary and Q&A color. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus analyst targets still imply material upside on average, though they vary; this keeps the stock on the radar for value investors even as sentiment swings. Analyst Consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Management narrowed the full‑year outlook and warned that Medicare drug pricing changes and lower SNAP benefits will pressure annual sales and profits — a near‑term headwind to revenue and margin growth. Guidance & Medicare Impact
• Negative Sentiment: BMO lowered its price target from $25 to $23 (still “outperform”), a signal that some analysts are trimming upside expectations which can increase selling pressure. BMO Price Target Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group cut its target from $24 to $22 while maintaining an outperform rating, another downgrade that likely contributed to weaker intraday sentiment. Telsey Price Target Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed estimates ($19.12B vs $19.18B), reinforcing caution that top‑line elasticity remains a risk even as margins and EPS held up. Earnings Detail

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.