Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG)

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 99,242 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 905% compared to the average daily volume of 9,873 call options.

Conagra Brands Trading Up 3.4%

NYSE:CAG opened at $18.09 on Tuesday. Conagra Brands has a 12 month low of $15.96 and a 12 month high of $28.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -82.23 and a beta of -0.01. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.17.

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) last issued its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.01. Conagra Brands had a positive return on equity of 10.59% and a negative net margin of 0.87%.The company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Conagra Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.85 EPS. Analysts expect that Conagra Brands will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Conagra Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be issued 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 is Tuesday, January 27th. Conagra Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -636.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Conagra Brands in a report on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Conagra Brands in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Conagra Brands from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Conagra Brands from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $18.71.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Melissa C. Napier sold 13,011 shares of Conagra Brands stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.19, for a total transaction of $223,659.09. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Conagra Brands

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAG. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 1.6% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 61,369,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,256,241,000 after purchasing an additional 966,031 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Conagra Brands by 25.6% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,587,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,414,000 after buying an additional 3,173,767 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Conagra Brands by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,674,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,672,000 after buying an additional 2,618,647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Conagra Brands by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,870,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,405,000 after acquiring an additional 193,829 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.75% of the company’s stock.

Conagra Brands Company 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.