Experts, analysts and just about everybody else have been saying that the pandemic is going to materially change the way we do things, particularly with respect to health, hygiene and food habits. And one of the changes that it has brought and that’s likely to continue in the foreseeable future is cooking at home. This is directly opposite to the way we were thinking right before, as everyone was increasingly eating out.
But as more people continue working from home and even conducting meetings over digital platforms, while trying to maintain a certain amount of social distancing, eating out could be something we do less often.
This directly benefits the companies that offer the ingredients for home-cooking, so that’s the segment grabbing the limelight for now. Here are a few stocks poised to profit from this trend, along with some encouraging numbers-
The J. M. Smucker Company SJM
The J.M. Smucker Company is a leading marketer and manufacturer of consumer food and beverage products like coffee, peanut butter, fruit spreads, baking products, ready-to-spread frostings, frozen sandwiches, flour and juices as well as pet food and pet snacks in North America. Although the majority of its operations are in the U.S., it also operates internationally.
Zacks Rank #1
VGM B (VGM is a composite score allotted to a stock to denote its suitability for value, growth, or momentum investors)
Value B (A value score of A or B indicates that it is particularly suited for value investors)
Last EPS surprise 5.86%
April quarter EPS up 22 cents, July quarter EPS estimate up 10 cents, 2020 EPS estimate up 22 cents in the last 30 days
Dividend 3.52 (3.03%)
MGP Ingredients (NASDAQ:MGPI), Inc. MGPI
MGP Ingredients produces and markets ingredients and distillery products to the packaged goods industry. Its Distillery Products segment offers food grade alcohol, fuel grade alcohol and distillers feed. Its Ingredient Solutions segment primarily offers specialty wheat starches and proteins, commodity wheat starches and commodity vital wheat gluten.
Zacks Rank #1
Momentum A (A momentum score of A or B indicates that momentum investors could consider it)
Last EPS surprise 74.29%
June and September quarter EPS estimates up 3 cents and 4 cents, respectively, 2020 EPS estimate up 40 cents in the last 30 days
Dividend 0.48 (1.29%)
SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL), Inc. STKL
SunOpta operates in the natural and organic food, supplements, and health and beauty markets. Through SunOpta Food Group, it sources, processes and distributes natural and organic food products from seed through packaged products; through Opta Minerals Group, it produces, distributes and recycles environmentally friendly industrial materials; and through SunOpta BioProcess Group it engineers and markets proprietary steam explosion technology systems for the pulp, bio-fuel and food processing industries. Each of these business units has proprietary products and services that give it a solid competitive advantage.
Zacks Rank #1
VGM A
Value A
Growth A (a growth score of A or B indicates that the stock is suitable for growth investors)
Last EPS surprise 33.33%
Loss per share estimate for March and June quarters is steady, although down a couple of cents for 2020 in the last 30 days.
It doesn’t pay a dividend.
The Hain Celestial (NASDAQ:HAIN) Group, Inc. HAIN
The Hain Celestial Group produces, distributes, markets and sells natural and organic foods, as well as personal care products including popular better-for-you groceries (non-dairy beverages and frozen desserts, flour and baking mixes, cereals, condiments, cooking oils, infant and toddler food, etc.), snacks (potato and vegetable chips, organic tortilla style chips, whole grain chips and popcorn, etc.), and tea (herb teas such as Lemon Zinger, Peppermint, Mandarin Orange Spice, Cinnamon Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Spice, Red Zinger, etc.). It operates in North America and Europe.
Zacks Rank #1
VGM B
Growth B
Last EPS surprise 13.33%
March and June quarter EPS estimates each up a penny in the last 30 days, fiscal 2020 (ending June) estimate also up a penny in the last 30 days.
It doesn’t pay a dividend.
B&G Foods (NYSE:BGS), Inc. BGS
B&G Foods, along with its subsidiaries, manufactures shelf-stable, frozen food and household products. It houses 50 brands including Back to Nature, B&G, B&M, Cream of Wheat, Green Giant, Las Palmas, Le Sueur, Mama Mary’s, Maple Grove Farms, Mrs. Dash, New York Style, Ortega, Pirate’s Booty, Polaner, SnackWell’s, Spice Islands and Victoria. Its products are available across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
Zacks Rank #1
VGM A
Value A
Last EPS surprise 6.98%
June and September quarter EPS estimates are unchanged in the last 30 days, as is the estimate for 2020.
Dividend 1.90 (9.73%)
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The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
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