Company Earnings Archive

Investors Fear Kroger Is Returning To The Old Normal

Kroger stock has performed well in 2024, rising 9% so far this year. But on a two-year basis, the stock has barely budged and shares have faded 15% from early April levels. The reaction to first-quarter earnings last week further highlights the uncertainty: Kroger stock jumped in early trading but finished the day down a little over 3%.

Missing the Mark – Private Label is Failing at Target

Everything is cyclical. There’s a pendulum at play for any brand investing heavily in the private-label game – as more house brands populate shelves with similar names and cheaper prices than their national brand counterparts, public perception of the parent company may swing along with the pendulum; in other words, some consumers may begin to question what they’re compromising when their carts are full of private-label goods instead of the national brands they may have been buying last week, last quarter, or last year. So swings the pendulum as a blade of commerce.

Private Label Drives Summer Growth

For many major retailers, the latest quarterly results tell a familiar tale: consumers are fed up with high prices, spending less, and commodifying their loyalty by taking the best deal right now, regardless of whose logo adorns their grocery bag or shopping cart. 

The Surprising Strength in WK Kellogg Stock

What WK Kellogg has done in its first three quarters as a standalone business is both an important step in the right direction and a validation of a spin-off strategy, wrote FI’s resident stock analyst.

Two Sides of Hello Fresh

As a business, it’s difficult to see Hello Fresh as anything but a massive success. And yet, despite the success of the business, Hello Fresh stock has been a terrible investment.

How Hormel and JM Smucker Are Beating the Market

It’s not hard to understand why these companies have found success in a challenging environment. These are comfort food manufacturers (among other things!) whose identities, infrastructure, and revenue are built upon foods people reach for when they’re feeling down, feeling squeezed, or both.

Cereal Manufacturers Desperate to Boost Sales

Americans are turning away from breakfast cereal, and that’s got cereal manufacturers seeking fresh innovation to bring consumers back to their bowls and the breakfast table.

How Post Holdings Claimed the Best Packaged Food Stock in the Market

Since its spin-off from Ralcorp, Post has spent over $10 billion on acquisitions. It has taken impairment changes relative to acquired assets of less than $300 million. Meanwhile, off a cereal business worth about $2 billion, Post and Bellring are now worth over $20 billion combined (including the respective companies’ debt).

Rash of Restaurant Bankruptcies Festers

Fast-food businesses that focus on creating a positive workplace culture, improving the overall employee experience, and nurturing strong employer-employee relationships are better positioned to attract and retain top talent.

Walmart Commits to Reducing Food Waste

In an era of increased greenwashing and many companies abandoning once-ambitious ESG plans altogether, Walmart appears to be making real strides toward helping reduce food waste, solve food deserts, and burnishing its worldwide brand a little more.

Analysis: Why History Colors Campbell’s Sovos Deal

Across the 1980s and 1990s, Campbell Soup was one of the best stocks not only in the food industry, but the entire market. Including dividends, CPB returned 2,700%, or about 18%, on an annualized basis. …

The Grimace Effect – How Marketing & Memes Drive Sales

Audacious, sublime, organic – these are the hallmarks of profit for brands wise enough to be confident in their values and lucky enough to thread the needle between quality-controlled seriousness and edge-of-the-internet frivolity.

Costco Clamps Down on Membership Abuse

It’s unusual for a retailer to make it more difficult for consumers to shop at its stores. But membership fees are the key to Costco’s business. In fiscal 2022 (ending August 28), membership fees accounted for 54% of the company’s operating profit; the figure has risen to 58% in the first three quarters of fiscal 2023.

Meat Producers Look For A Bottom — And For Answers

The cycle has turned against meat producers with a perhaps unprecedented vengeance. In response, investors and industry participants face two key questions. First, when does the cycle turn? More importantly, what can meat producers do …

Advertisement
FI-Home-NEW-2020Gaps
FI-Home-NEW-2020Gaps
Advertisement

Are Ingredient Suppliers Signaling Trouble Ahead?

One of the biggest stories in food manufacturing in 2022 was the ability of producers to take pricing. Despite price increases usually in the range of 15% year-over-year (if not higher), major manufacturers were able …

Weakened Chicken Demand Pummels Tyson

Tyson Foods’ first quarter earnings missed Wall Street estimates as improved beef and pork supplies weakened demand for chicken, the company said. And chief financial officer John R. Tyson said the next quarter also will …

Recession Still Looms as a Risk to F&B Stocks

Many investors believe that food and beverage stocks are safe places in which to hide when the stock market turns towards recession. That belief centers on a simple thesis: people still have to eat. The …

Investors See Tough Times Ahead for Fast Casuals

It’s difficult to project how the fast-casual industry will perform in a recession. The current version of the industry hasn’t really seen one. To be sure, the fast-casual concept predates the financial crisis of the …

Alternative Seafood Investments Are on the Rise

Investment in plant-based, fermented or cell-based “alternative seafood” amounted to $178.2 million between January and mid-July this year, as interest in the sector continued to grow. (Fish Farming Expert, July 28) In fact, the alternative …