Conagra Brands Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:CAG)

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 99,242 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 905% compared to the typical daily volume of 9,873 call options.

Conagra Brands Trading Up 3.4%

CAG stock opened at $18.09 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a PE ratio of -82.23 and a beta of -0.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.89. Conagra Brands has a one year low of $15.96 and a one year high of $28.51. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $17.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.17.

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. Conagra Brands had a negative net margin of 0.87% and a positive return on equity of 10.59%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.70 EPS. Conagra Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.85 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Conagra Brands will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Conagra Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 27th. Conagra Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -636.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Conagra Brands from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Conagra Brands from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Conagra Brands from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Conagra Brands from $22.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Conagra Brands presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $18.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Conagra Brands

In other news, SVP Melissa C. Napier sold 13,011 shares of Conagra Brands stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.19, for a total transaction of $223,659.09. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Conagra Brands

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CAG. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Conagra Brands by 202.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,427 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Conagra Brands in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 844.4% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,427 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of Conagra Brands during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Conagra Brands by 249.0% in the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.75% of the company’s stock.

About Conagra Brands

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.