Zacks Research Upgrades Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) to “Hold”

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Zacks reports.

CAG has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Conagra Brands from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $12.00 price target (down from $16.00) on shares of Conagra Brands in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Conagra Brands from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Conagra Brands in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Conagra Brands from $15.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 5th. 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, Conagra Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $14.07.

Conagra Brands Stock Up 1.4%

CAG stock opened at $13.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.36 and a beta of 0.02. 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 has a 1-year low of $12.53 and a 1-year high of $20.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $15.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.56.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Conagra Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Conagra Brands in the 2nd quarter worth $1,071,275,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Conagra Brands during the second quarter valued at about $47,815,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Conagra Brands by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,404,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $180,094,000 after purchasing an additional 2,669,959 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in Conagra Brands in the second quarter worth about $30,316,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Conagra Brands in the second quarter worth about $25,047,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.75% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about 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.