Kestra Advisory Services LLC Grows Position in Conagra Brands $CAG

Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) by 148.4% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 161,663 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 96,584 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Conagra Brands were worth $2,541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Conagra Brands by 2.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,202,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $536,363,000 after buying an additional 588,435 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Conagra Brands by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,667,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,829,000 after purchasing an additional 2,079,903 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Conagra Brands by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 17,622,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,044,000 after purchasing an additional 2,948,081 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Conagra Brands by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,229,557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,624,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376,823 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Conagra Brands by 19.6% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,130,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,984,873 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on CAG. Zacks Research lowered Conagra Brands from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Conagra Brands from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Conagra Brands from $18.00 to $14.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Conagra Brands in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Conagra Brands from $15.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $14.07.

Key Conagra Brands News

Here are the key news stories impacting Conagra Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Conagra Brands to $17 from $16 and kept an overweight rating, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Barclays raises Conagra price target
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies reiterated a Hold rating but lifted its target to $14 from $13, and UBS also nudged its target higher to $14, suggesting analysts see some stabilization after the post-earnings reset. Conagra begins strategic reset with dividend cut and higher reinvestment
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports argue that Conagra’s dividend cut could be constructive because it frees up about $335 million annually for debt reduction and brand investment, which may support a longer-term turnaround. Why Conagra’s dividend cut could be the best thing for investors
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s Q4 results were mixed: adjusted EPS was roughly in line, but revenue and operating profit missed expectations and management issued a weak annual outlook. Reuters: Conagra forecasts annual profit below estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is emphasizing a margin reset, supply-chain improvements, portfolio simplification, and selective reinvestment, which supports the idea of a turnaround but also highlights that the recovery will take time. Q4 earnings call highlights margin reset and cost focus
• Negative Sentiment: The dividend cut and below-estimate profit outlook signal ongoing pressure on earnings and cash flow, which remains a concern for income-focused investors. Seeking Alpha commentary on Conagra dividend cut

Conagra Brands Stock Down 1.2%

Conagra Brands stock opened at $14.29 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.57 and a beta of -0.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Conagra Brands has a twelve month low of $12.53 and a twelve month high of $20.32. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.71.

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. Conagra Brands had a positive return on equity of 10.44% and a negative net margin of 16.99%.The firm had revenue of $2.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. Conagra Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Conagra Brands has set its FY 2027 guidance at 1.400-1.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Conagra Brands will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Conagra Brands Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 30th will be paid a $0.175 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 30th. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Conagra Brands’s payout ratio is currently -35.00%.

Conagra Brands Profile

Conagra Brands, Inc is a leading packaged foods company based in Chicago, Illinois, with a broad portfolio of shelf-stable, frozen and refrigerated foods marketed under familiar brands. The company develops, produces and distributes a wide range of consumer food products, serving both retail grocery and foodservice channels. Conagra’s product lineup includes frozen entrees, snacks, condiments, baking goods and desserts, providing convenient meal solutions for consumers across North America and select international markets.

Among its well-known brands are Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Marie Callender’s and Banquet in the frozen foods category, as well as Hunt’s sauces, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn, Slim Jim meat snacks and Reddi-wip toppings.