Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ACI scored 29.6, BJ scored 52.8 — BJ leads.
Compare another set
ACI
Albertsons Companies, Inc.
Grocery Stores · Quality-Growth
29.6
$12.19 · $5.9B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
23.2
BJ leads
BJ
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.
Discount Stores · Quality-Growth
52.8
$98.58 · $12.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestBJ21.6x
Fastest growthBJ+4.7%
Strongest balance sheetBJ1.26
Highest qualityBJ76 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueACI-29%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
ACI
stronger →← stronger
BJ
46
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
76
33
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
55
17
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
35
BJ is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ACI
BJ
$564mC+
FCF
$358mC
+3.5%C+
Rev
+4.7%C+
9.74D
D/E
1.26C+
71.7xD
P/E
21.6xB
—
PEG
2.15C
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
ACI
BJ
29% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
120% above
~-5%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~25%/yr
+41%
1-yr DCF upside
-56%
+40%
5-yr DCF upside
-55%
+40%
10-yr DCF upside
-52%
These two disagree on this pair: the Value pillar ranks cheapness against sector peers, while price-vs-fair-value is an absolute read. A name can be the better value in its sector and still the dearer one on cash flows.
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
ACI
Why this score
Buying back stock
Raising its dividend
BJ
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
The companies
ACIAlbertsons Companies, Inc.
Grocery Stores · $12.19 · beta 0.23
Why now
Grocery Stores · market cap $5.9b. Down 39% from 52-week high of $20.00 — deep drawdown territory. 16 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $14.19 (implying +16% upside).
Moat
Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of depreciation and amortization ($2.7b) — non-cash charges that hold down reported earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
D/E 9.74 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Trailing P/E 71.7x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Down 39% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
BJBJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.
Discount Stores · $98.58 · beta 0.17
Why now
Discount Stores · market cap $12.5b. 7% off the 52-week high of $105.78. 20 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $105.80 (implying +7% upside).
Moat
ROE 28% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which.
Risk
Net margin 2.6% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where ACI and BJ diverge
On the headline score the gap is 23.2 points in favor of BJ. The widest single difference is Quality, where BJ leads by 30.4 points.
QualityACI 45.7 · BJ 76.1BJ +30.4
GrowthACI 33.4 · BJ 54.8BJ +21.4
ValueACI 16.9 · BJ 35.3BJ +18.4
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is BJ or ACI the better stock?
BJ scores higher: BJ 52.8, ACI 29.6 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do BJ and ACI differ most?
The widest gap is quality, where BJ leads by 30 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. BJ leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are BJ and ACI scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.