Zacks Research Reduces Earnings Estimates for General Mills

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of General Mills in a research note issued on Monday, March 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $0.72 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.80. Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for General Mills’ current full-year earnings is $4.36 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for General Mills’ Q4 2026 earnings at $0.76 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.44 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.87 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.14 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.79 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.75 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $3.55 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.93 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.23 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $0.82 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.75 EPS.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 17th. The company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.78 billion. General Mills had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.40 earnings per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on GIS. Bank of America lowered shares of General Mills from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $48.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $63.00 target price on General Mills and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings cut General Mills from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of General Mills in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on General Mills from $47.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, General Mills presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $48.94.

General Mills Stock Down 0.6%

GIS stock opened at $38.75 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.33 and a beta of -0.05. General Mills has a 52-week low of $38.59 and a 52-week high of $62.61. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $44.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.86.

General Mills Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Mills news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.15, for a total value of $72,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 48,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,338,549.20. This trade represents a 3.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Mills

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in General Mills by 0.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 69,346,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,592,828,000 after purchasing an additional 581,045 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in General Mills by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,717,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,700,060,000 after purchasing an additional 145,701 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of General Mills by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,697,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $915,953,000 after purchasing an additional 488,617 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of General Mills by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,197,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $704,170,000 after purchasing an additional 172,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of General Mills by 15.9% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 9,956,665 shares of the company’s stock worth $494,548,000 after buying an additional 1,368,041 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.71% of the company’s stock.

More General Mills News

Here are the key news stories impacting General Mills this week:

• Positive Sentiment: General Mills agreed to sell its Brazil business to local coffee and consumer goods company 3corações as part of a push to streamline its portfolio and focus on higher-margin markets; investors reacted positively in premarket trading to the portfolio-sharpening rationale. General Mills sells Brazil unit to 3corações in push for leaner portfolio, high profits
• Positive Sentiment: Product/brand move: General Mills is reintroducing the La Tiara taco shell brand and expanding it nationally, a smaller-scale growth and marketing initiative that supports shelf momentum and local job creation. General Mills Reintroduces Beloved La Tiara Brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings: Investors face near-term earnings risk — previews expect quarter-over-quarter revenue and earnings pressure from promotional activity, cost headwinds and investments; earnings results (and any guidance) could swing sentiment. GIS Q3 Earnings on the Horizon: Essential Insights for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Income-oriented coverage: Several pieces highlight GIS’s ~6.2–6.3% dividend yield and income strategies (e.g., option-income ideas), which can attract yield-seeking investors but also raise questions about safety and sustainability. How To Earn $500 A Month From General Mills Stock Ahead Of Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst estimate cuts: Zacks Research issued multiple downgrades and lowered near‑ and medium‑term EPS forecasts across quarters and years, and maintains a “Strong Sell” stance — a clear headwind for sentiment and valuation. MarketBeat — General Mills (Zacks updates summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target and rating action: Barclays trimmed its price target (from $46 to $43) and holds an “equal weight” view, signaling limited upside from current levels. Benzinga — Barclays price-target note
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend safety concerns: Commentary aimed at retirees warns the elevated yield may reflect share-price stress and underlying operational/earnings pressure — a potential reason for caution among income investors. Retirees Eyeing General Mills’ 6.3% Dividend Should Read the Fine Print First

General Mills Company Profile

General Mills, Inc (NYSE: GIS) is a multinational consumer foods company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded food products. Its product categories include ready-to-eat and hot cereals, baking mixes and ingredients, snacks and bars, refrigerated and frozen doughs, yogurt and other dairy products, and a variety of shelf-stable meals and meal components. The company’s portfolio features widely recognized consumer brands across grocery store, mass channel and foodservice outlets.

Founded in the early 20th century and incorporated under its current name in 1928, General Mills has grown through both internal brand development and strategic expansion to become a global food company.