The agriculture operations space stands to gain from ongoing innovation and the growing demand for health-focused products. Given the favorable environment, here are 4 stocks in the industry to keep an eye on.
The low valuation multiples for value stocks provide a margin of safety that growth stocks rarely offer.
However, the challenge lies in determining whether these cheap assets are genuinely undervalued or simply on sale due to their potentially deteriorating business models.
The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) and the rest of the perishable food stocks fared in Q4.
Looking back on perishable food stocks’ Q4 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO) and its peers.
Over the past six months, Dole’s stock price fell to $13.81. Shareholders have lost 17.5% of their capital, disappointing when considering the S&P 500 was flat. This may have investors wondering how to approach the situation.
Fresh produce company Dole (NYSE:DOLE) announced better-than-expected revenue in Q4 CY2024, with sales up 4.6% year on year to $2.17 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.16 per share was significantly above analysts’ consensus estimates.
Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Calavo (NASDAQ:CVGW) and the best and worst performers in the perishable food industry.
Consumer staples stocks are seen as defensive plays because they’re typically safe havens in turbulent markets.
On the other hand, they usually underperform during bull runs, but the sector has bucked this trend lately as its six-month return of 10.3% has closely followed the S&P 500.
Over the past six months, Dole has been a great trade, beating the S&P 500 by 12.5%. Its stock price has climbed to $14.78, representing a healthy 23.1% increase. This run-up might have investors contemplating their next move.
Fresh produce company Dole (NYSE:DOLE) reported Q3 CY2024 results exceeding the market’s revenue expectations, but sales were flat year on year at $2.06 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.19 per share was 4.4% below analysts’ consensus estimates.
September is living up to its connotation of being the most volatile month for the stock market but Dole (DOLE) and Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC) are two consumer food stocks that may be able to offer defensive safety in the portfolio.
Dole PLC reported a 6.6% increase in Q1 FY24 sales to $2.12 billion, matching analyst estimates. The growth was driven by strong operations and favorable currency impacts. Gross profit rose 8.7% to $194.7 million, while operating income surged over 100% to $71.5 million. Adjusted EPS of $0.43 exceeded the $0.31 estimate. The company also declared a $0.08 per share dividend.
