Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday morning,Zacks reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on CAG. Barclays lowered their price objective on Conagra Brands from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Conagra Brands from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Conagra Brands in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Conagra Brands from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Evercore set a $13.00 price target on Conagra Brands in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $14.07.

Conagra Brands Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of CAG stock opened at $13.38 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.36 and a beta of 0.02. Conagra Brands has a one year low of $12.53 and a one year high of $20.32. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $15.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, September 30th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.13. Conagra Brands had a negative net margin of 16.95% and a positive return on equity of 11.46%. The company had revenue of $2.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.39 EPS. Conagra Brands’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Conagra Brands has set its FY 2027 guidance at 1.400-1.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Conagra Brands will post 1.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Conagra Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 5th will be given a $0.1750 dividend. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 5th. Conagra Brands’s payout ratio is currently -17.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Conagra Brands

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAG. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Conagra Brands during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,071,275,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Conagra Brands by 9.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 19,323,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $303,771,000 after purchasing an additional 1,701,624 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Conagra Brands by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,404,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,094,000 after purchasing an additional 2,669,959 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Conagra Brands by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 8,125,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,659,000 after purchasing an additional 1,554,725 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Conagra Brands during the second quarter valued at $47,815,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.75% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Conagra Brands

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

• Positive Sentiment: Conagra reported quarterly adjusted earnings of $0.41 per share, well above the $0.28 analyst consensus, while revenue of $2.60 billion was slightly ahead of expectations. Management maintained fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $1.40–$1.50. Conagra Brands Releases Quarterly Earnings Results
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated or reiterated a bullish view with a “Buy” rating, suggesting analysts see potential value in Conagra’s depressed valuation and turnaround efforts. Conagra Brands Receives a Buy from Barclays
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed its “Sector Perform” rating and assigned a $14 price target, indicating limited near-term upside from current levels and a wait-and-see stance on the recovery. RBC Reaffirms Conagra Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continuing pressure on margins and declining volumes, with Conagra’s simplification initiatives not yet fully offsetting operational challenges. CAG Q3 Deep Dive
• Negative Sentiment: The frozen-food business faces potential product cannibalization: Conagra has such a broad assortment of frozen meals that its own brands may be competing for limited shelf space and consumer demand. Frozen Food Aisle Competition
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary on the earnings call characterized the turnaround as showing progress but still facing significant pressure, reinforcing concerns that earnings growth may take time. Conagra Brands Earnings Call

About Conagra Brands

Conagra Brands, Inc is a packaged food company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company develops, produces and markets branded food products sold through grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores, convenience stores, foodservice operators and e-commerce channels.

Its portfolio includes frozen, refrigerated, grocery and snack products. Well-known brands include Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s, Banquet, Duncan Hines, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Hunt’s, Chef Boyardee, Orville Redenbacher’s, Vlasic, PAM and Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP.