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Unpacking Q3 Earnings: Hain Celestial (NASDAQ:HAIN) In The Context Of Other Shelf-Stable Food Stocks

By: StockStory

January 03, 2025 at 04:08 AM EST

HAIN Cover Image

As the Q3 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the shelf-stable food industry, including Hain Celestial (NASDAQ: HAIN) and its peers.

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 20 shelf-stable food stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 5.7% below.

While some shelf-stable food stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 4.6% since the latest earnings results.

Hain Celestial (NASDAQ: HAIN)

Sold in over 75 countries around the world, Hain Celestial (NASDAQ: HAIN) is a natural and organic food company whose products range from snacks to teas to baby food.

Hain Celestial reported revenues of $394.6 million, down 7.2% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a softer quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

“Our performance in the first quarter built upon the momentum from our foundational year by further streamlining our portfolio and operational footprint, enabling us to deliver gross margin expansion,” said Wendy Davidson, Hain Celestial President and CEO.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 30.9% since reporting and currently trades at $6.15.

Read our full report on Hain Celestial here, it’s free.

Best Q3: General Mills (NYSE: GIS)

Best known for its portfolio of powerhouse breakfast cereal brands, General Mills (NYSE: GIS) is a packaged foods company that has also made a mark in cereals, baking products, and snacks.

General Mills reported revenues of $5.24 billion, up 2% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 1.9%. The business had a very strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 3.6% since reporting. It currently trades at $63.54.

Is now the time to buy General Mills? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q3: J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ: JJSF)

Best known for its SuperPretzel soft pretzels and ICEE frozen drinks, J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ: JJSF) produces a range of snacks and beverages and distributes them primarily to supermarket and food service customers.

J&J Snack Foods reported revenues of $426.8 million, down 3.9% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and gross margin estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 11.3% since the results and currently trades at $153.79.

Read our full analysis of J&J Snack Foods’s results here.

Conagra (NYSE: CAG)

Founded in 1919 as Nebraska Consolidated Mills in Omaha, Nebraska, Conagra Brands today (NYSE: CAG) boasts a diverse portfolio of packaged foods brands that includes everything from whipped cream to jarred pickles to frozen meals.

Conagra reported revenues of $3.20 billion, flat year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. Taking a step back, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ organic revenue estimates but full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations.

The stock is up 2% since reporting and currently trades at $27.91.

Read our full, actionable report on Conagra here, it’s free.

Post (NYSE: POST)

Founded in 1895, Post (NYSE: POST) is a packaged food company known for its namesake breakfast cereal and healthier-for-you snacks.

Post reported revenues of $2.01 billion, up 3.3% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 2.2%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a decent beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is up 6.9% since reporting and currently trades at $115.36.

Read our full, actionable report on Post 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 has thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% each in November and December), 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 the pace and magnitude of future rate cuts as well as potential changes in trade policy and corporate taxes once the Trump administration takes over. The path forward is marked by uncertainty.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Strong Momentum Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

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