Albertsons Companies, Inc. (ACI) is set to report third-quarter earnings on Wednesday morning, January 7, and Wall Street analysts have been fine-tuning their forecasts ahead of the release.
The consensus view calls for earnings of 68 cents per share, which would represent a slight decline from the 71 cents reported in the same quarter last year. On the revenue side, things look more promising—analysts are projecting $19.17 billion, up from $18.77 billion in the year-ago period.
The grocery retailer has been on decent footing lately. Back on October 14, Albertsons delivered second-quarter results that beat expectations and subsequently raised its full-year 2025 earnings forecast. That's the kind of momentum companies like to carry into their next earnings report.
Shares closed Wednesday at $17.17, down half a percent for the session.
What the Most Accurate Analysts Are Saying
Looking at recent analyst activity from Wall Street's most accurate forecasters reveals a mixed but generally constructive picture:
Michael Montani from Evercore ISI Group maintains an In-Line rating on Albertsons but trimmed his price target from $21 to $20 on December 23. Montani carries a 53% accuracy rate.
Ivan Feinseth at Tigress Financial remains the most bullish, keeping his Buy rating and actually raising his target from $28 to $29 back on October 20. Feinseth boasts the highest accuracy rate in this group at 74%.
UBS analyst Mark Carden holds a Buy rating but cut his price target from $27 to $25 on October 15. His accuracy rate stands at 58%.
Wells Fargo's Edward Kelly maintains an Overweight rating while reducing his target from $27 to $23 on October 27. Kelly has a 66% accuracy track record.
Finally, Steven Shemesh from RBC Capital keeps an Outperform rating but lowered his target from $23 to $21 on October 3. Shemesh's accuracy rate is 58%.
The pattern here is interesting—most analysts remain positive on the stock with Buy-equivalent ratings, but several have been trimming their price targets in recent months. That suggests cautious optimism rather than unbridled enthusiasm heading into this earnings report.