Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ACI scored 29.6, SFM scored 70.0 — SFM leads.
Compare another set
ACI
Albertsons Companies, Inc.
Grocery Stores · Quality-Growth
29.6
$12.19 · $5.9B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
40.4
SFM leads
SFM
Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc.
Grocery Stores · Quality-Growth
70
$65.14 · $6.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestSFM12.5x
Fastest growthSFM+7.2%
Strongest balance sheetSFM1.40
Highest qualitySFM77 / 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
SFM
46
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
77
33
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
60
17
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
75
SFM is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ACI
SFM
$564mC+
FCF
$357mC
+3.5%C+
Rev
+7.2%B
9.74D
D/E
1.40C+
71.7xD
P/E
12.5xA-
—
PEG
1.39B
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
SFM
29% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
22% below
~-5%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~0%/yr
+41%
1-yr DCF upside
+22%
+40%
5-yr DCF upside
+28%
+40%
10-yr DCF upside
+37%
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
SFM
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.
SFMSprouts Farmers Market, Inc.
Grocery Stores · $65.14 · beta 0.67
Why now
Grocery Stores · market cap $6.1b. Down 43% from 52-week high of $114.34 — deep drawdown territory. 14 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $93.57 (implying +44% upside).
Moat
ROE 34% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which.
Risk
Down 43% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
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 SFM diverge
On the headline score the gap is 40.4 points in favor of SFM. The widest single difference is Value, where SFM leads by 57.9 points.
ValueACI 16.9 · SFM 74.8SFM +57.9
QualityACI 45.7 · SFM 77.0SFM +31.3
GrowthACI 33.4 · SFM 59.6SFM +26.2
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 SFM or ACI the better stock?
SFM scores higher: SFM 70.0, 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 SFM and ACI differ most?
The widest gap is value, where SFM leads by 58 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. SFM leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are SFM 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.