Albertsons Withdraws Fiscal 2026 Guidance Amid Business Review, RBC Says

10:46 AM EDT, 10/14/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Albertsons (ACI) delivered fiscal Q2 results that were in line with or slightly better than expectations but withdrew its fiscal 2026 guidance as it conducts a comprehensive business review, RBC Capital said in a Tuesday note. The brokerage said identical-store sales fell 0.8%, better than the expected 1.0% decline, despite 210 basis points of headwinds from pharmacy impacts, generic drug shifts, a produce outbreak and cycling egg inflation. Easing one-time pressures could support modest sequential improvement. The business review will target productivity gains, cost cuts, inventory discipline, store portfolio optimization, pricing improvements and capital allocation. Albertsons expects to provide an update during its fiscal Q4 earnings call ahead of an investor day in spring 2027, according to the report. RBC expects identical-store sales to decline 0.9% in fiscal 2026 and 0.3% in fiscal 2027, with adjusted EBITDA of $3.55 billion and $3.50 billion, respectively. Limited catalysts and uncertainty around a sales recovery could keep shares range-bound. RBC maintained its outperform rating on the stock and raised its price target to $16 from $13. Price: 12.70, Change: -0.03, Percent Change: -0.20