The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how shelf-stable food stocks fared in Q1, starting with TreeHouse Foods (NYSE: THS).
As America industrialized and moved away from an agricultural economy, people faced more demands on their time. Packaged foods emerged as a solution offering convenience to the evolving American family, whether it be canned goods or snacks. Today, Americans seek brands that are high in quality, reliable, and reasonably priced. Furthermore, there's a growing emphasis on health-conscious and sustainable food options. Packaged food stocks are considered resilient investments. People always need to eat, so these companies can enjoy consistent demand as long as they stay on top of changing consumer preferences. The industry spans from multinational corporations to smaller specialized firms and is subject to food safety and labeling regulations.
The 18 shelf-stable food stocks we track reported a slower Q1. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 1% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 0.5% above.
Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 7.2% since the latest earnings results.
TreeHouse Foods (NYSE: THS)
Whether it be packaged crackers, broths, or beverages, Treehouse Foods (NYSE: THS) produces a wide range of private-label foods for grocery and food service customers.
TreeHouse Foods reported revenues of $792 million, down 3.6% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, and overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
"I am grateful to the entire TreeHouse team for its execution this quarter, which resulted in Adjusted EBITDA that exceeded the upper-end of our guidance range," said Steve Oakland, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President.
Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 2.4% since reporting and currently trades at $22.85.
Is now the time to buy TreeHouse Foods? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Best Q1: Lamb Weston (NYSE: LW)
Best known for its Grown in Idaho brand, Lamb Weston (NYSE: LW) produces and distributes potato products such as frozen french fries and mashed potatoes.
Lamb Weston reported revenues of $1.52 billion, up 4.3% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.4%. The business had a very strong quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ gross margin estimates.
Lamb Weston pulled off the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 1.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $53.20.
Is now the time to buy Lamb Weston? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q1: B&G Foods (NYSE: BGS)
Started as a small grocery store in New York City, B&G Foods (NYSE: BGS) is an American packaged foods company with a diverse portfolio of more than 50 brands.
B&G Foods reported revenues of $425.4 million, down 10.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 6.8%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
B&G Foods delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 34.4% since the results and currently trades at $4.14.
Read our full analysis of B&G Foods’s results here.
SunOpta (NASDAQ: STKL)
Committed to clean-label foods, SunOpta (NASDAQ: STKL) is a sustainability-focused food and beverage company specializing in the sourcing, processing, and packaging of organic products.
SunOpta reported revenues of $201.6 million, up 9.3% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 3.7%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
SunOpta achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The stock is up 36.1% since reporting and currently trades at $6.18.
Read our full, actionable report on SunOpta here, it’s free.
McCormick (NYSE: MKC)
The classic red Heinz ketchup bottle’s competitor, McCormick (NYSE: MKC) sells food-flavoring products like condiments, spices, and seasoning mixes.
McCormick reported revenues of $1.61 billion, flat year on year. This result missed analysts’ expectations by 0.6%. Overall, it was a slower quarter as it also produced a miss of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.
The stock is down 10.6% since reporting and currently trades at $71.80.
Read our full, actionable report on McCormick here, it’s free.
Market Update
Thanks to the Fed’s series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump’s presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.
Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Growth Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.
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