Perishable Food Stocks Q3 Results: Benchmarking Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND)

Stock Story

Wrapping up Q3 earnings, we look at the numbers and key takeaways for the perishable food stocks, including Beyond Meat and its peers.

The perishable food industry is diverse, encompassing large-scale producers and distributors to specialty and artisanal brands. These companies sell produce, dairy products, meats, and baked goods and have become integral to serving modern American consumers who prioritize freshness, quality, and nutritional value. Investing in perishable food stocks presents both opportunities and challenges. While the perishable nature of products can introduce risks related to supply chain management and shelf life, it also creates a constant demand driven by the necessity for fresh food. Companies that can efficiently manage inventory, distribution, and quality control are well-positioned to thrive in this competitive market. Navigating the perishable food industry requires adherence to strict food safety standards, regulations, and labeling requirements.

The 12 perishable food stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q3. As a group, revenues along with next quarter’s revenue guidance were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 3.7% on average since the latest earnings results.

Beyond Meat

A pioneer at the forefront of the plant-based protein revolution, Beyond Meat is a food company specializing in alternatives to traditional meat products.

Beyond Meat reported revenues of $70.22 million, down 13.3% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2.1%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a softer quarter for the company with revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations and a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 24.1% since reporting and currently trades at $1.03.

Read our full report on Beyond Meat here, it’s free.

Best Q3: Mission Produce

Founded in 1983 in California, Mission Produce grows, packages, and distributes avocados.

Mission Produce reported revenues of $319 million, down 10% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 8.5%. The business had an incredible quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ gross margin estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Mission Produce delivered the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 6.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $12.27.

Slowest Q3: Calavo

A trailblazer in the avocado industry, Calavo Growers is a pioneering California-based provider of high-quality avocados and other fresh food products.

Calavo reported revenues of $124.7 million, down 26.6% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 15.7%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Calavo delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth in the group. Interestingly, the stock is up 12.9% since the results and currently trades at $25.49.

Read our full analysis of Calavo’s results here.

Pilgrim's Pride

Offering everything from pre-marinated to frozen chicken, Pilgrim’s Pride produces, processes, and distributes chicken products to retailers and food service customers.

Pilgrim's Pride reported revenues of $4.76 billion, up 3.8% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

The stock is up 9.2% since reporting and currently trades at $41.64.

Read our full, actionable report on Pilgrim's Pride here, it’s free.

Vital Farms

With an emphasis on ethically produced products, Vital Farms specializes in pasture-raised eggs and butter.

Vital Farms reported revenues of $198.9 million, up 37.2% year on year. This result topped analysts’ expectations by 3.7%. It was a very strong quarter as it also put up an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

Vital Farms delivered the fastest revenue growth and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is down 8.4% since reporting and currently trades at $29.48.

Read our full, actionable report on Vital Farms here, it’s free.

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Why Calavo (CVGW) Stock Is Up Today

Stock Story

What Happened?

Shares of fresh produce company Calavo Growers jumped 12.2% in the afternoon session after the company agreed to be acquired by avocado producer Mission Produce (AVO) in a cash-and-stock deal.

Under the terms, Calavo shareholders were set to receive $27 per share, which consisted of $14.85 in cash and 0.9790 shares of Mission for each Calavo share they held. This price represented a 26% premium to Calavo's 30-day volume-weighted average price, signaling a favorable valuation for shareholders. The companies anticipated the transaction would generate $25 million in yearly cost savings. The acquisition news overshadowed the release of Calavo's fourth-quarter financial results, which had fallen short of analyst expectations. Upon completion of the deal, expected by August 2026, Calavo shareholders were projected to own about 19.7% of the combined entity.

What Is The Market Telling Us

Calavo’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 8 moves greater than 5% over the last year. Moves this big are rare for Calavo and indicate this news significantly impacted the market’s perception of the business.

The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 7 months ago when the stock dropped 17.3% on the news that the company reported weak first-quarter 2025 (fiscal Q2) results, which fell short of Wall Street's estimates across all key metrics, including sales, operating profit, and earnings per share.

Top-line growth benefited from higher average avocado prices, which offset a year-on-year decline in volume. The volume decline was attributed to constrained supply out of Mexico and USDA inspection delays. Looking ahead, management expects volume growth to pick up, driven by new customer wins and expanded programs with existing accounts, as well as continued strength from the California avocado season.Overall, this quarter could have been better.

Calavo is up 16.3% since the beginning of the year, but at $25.36 per share, it is still trading 10% below its 52-week high of $28.18 from April 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Calavo’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $346.02.

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Why Mission Produce (AVO) Stock Is Trading Lower Today

Stock Story

Mission Produce

+1.11%

What Happened?

Shares of avocado company Mission Produce fell 5.4% in the afternoon session after the company agreed to acquire Calavo Growers (CVGW) in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at approximately $430 million.

Under the terms of the deal, Calavo shareholders were set to receive $27.00 per share, a figure that represented a 26% premium to Calavo's 30-day volume-weighted average price. The payment structure included $14.85 in cash and 0.9790 shares of Mission Produce for each share of Calavo. It is common for the stock of an acquiring company to fall after such an announcement, especially when it involves paying a premium and issuing new shares, which can dilute the value for existing shareholders. Upon the deal's closing, Mission Produce shareholders were expected to own approximately 80.3% of the combined entity.

What Is The Market Telling Us

Mission Produce’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 6 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 10 months ago when the stock dropped 15.9% on the news that the company reported underwhelming first-quarter (fiscal 2025) results, as high expectations heading into the quarter made it difficult for the numbers to impress Wall Street. The key highlight for the quarter was strong revenue growth of 29%, driven by higher avocado prices and increased volume in the Marketing & Distribution segment. However there were supply challenges in Mexico, which could be made worse given the trade war.Overall, the quarter was solid, but cautious macroeconomic factors remained a concern.

Mission Produce is up 3.9% since the beginning of the year, and at $12.03 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $13.20 from December 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Mission Produce’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $769.18.

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Why Beyond Meat (BYND) Stock Is Trading Up Today

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Beyond Meat

-5.70%

What Happened?

Shares of plant-based protein company Beyond Meat jumped 8.8% in the afternoon session after the company launched a new plant-based protein beverage line, Beyond Immerse, marking its first entry into the beverage market. This move represented the first time the company introduced a non-meat product in its history. The new drink line combined pea protein with fiber, antioxidants, and electrolytes. It was released in three flavors and offered two different formulations with either 10 or 20 grams of protein. The expansion into functional beverages was viewed as an effort to capitalize on strong consumer demand for protein. The products were made available for a limited time on the company's direct-to-consumer platform, Beyond Test Kitchen.

What Is The Market Telling Us

Beyond Meat’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 74 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 23 days ago when the stock dropped 6.5% on the news that the company amended its debt agreements to allow for the exchange of certain debt into common stock and lowered the strike price on warrants, signaling potential dilution for shareholders. The plant-based meat company changed its intercreditor agreement to permit exchanges of some second-lien debt for company stock, a move that could increase the number of shares outstanding. At the same time, Beyond Meat cut the warrant exercise price for a lender from $3.26 to $1.95 per share, making it more likely that new shares would be created.

Beyond Meat is up 17.4% since the beginning of the year, but at $1.04 per share, it is still trading 76.5% below its 52-week high of $4.40 from February 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Beyond Meat’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $7.39.

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These under-the-radar stocks combine fast growth with big upside potential

MarketWatch

By Philip van Doorn

The companies are projected to grow sales rapidly through 2027, and many of the stocks are expected to show double-digit increases this year

Dozens of small-cap U.S. companies are expected to increase their revenue at an annual pace of more than 15% over the next two years.

A screen of small-cap stocks sheds light on companies expected to grow their businesses very rapidly. This bodes well for investors looking for multiyear growth plays. But for many of these companies, analysts expect large increases in stock prices this year.

Earlier this week, Matt Bartolini, the global head of research strategists at State Street Investment Management, made a solid case for investors to increase their exposure to small-cap stocks immediately. These stocks are trading at very low relative valuations to the S&P 500 SPX, and many smaller companies are primed for a bump in profits from declining borrowing costs and from federal income-tax breaks.

In that article we listed several ways for investors to use low-cost index funds to track small-cap stocks, such as the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 600 Small Cap ETF SPSM or the iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM, along with several others.

Some investors will want to dig into individual stocks. For these we have conducted a new stock screen focusing on projected growth rates for revenue.

We began the screen with the S&P Small Cap 600 Index SML. This index is more selective in that S&P Dow Jones Indices' criteria for a company to be added to the index includes four consecutive quarters of positive net income.

Here is how we narrowed down from the initial group of 600 companies:

Stocks covered by at least five analysts polled by LSEG. This brought the list down to 414 companies.
Majority buy or equivalent ratings among the analysts: 204 companies.
Revenue and earnings-per-share estimates available through calendar 2027. The estimates are adjusted for companies whose fiscal reporting periods don't match the calendar. This narrowed the list to 196 companies.
Positive EPS estimates for 2025, 2026 and 2027: 177 companies.

Then we cut the list to 25 companies for which consensus revenue estimates project compound annual growth rates of at least 15% from 2025 through 2027.

Here is an explanation of how we set that target revenue growth rate:

It turns out that based on LSEG's "smart estimates," which remove outliers among analysts' estimates and estimates that haven't been updated or affirmed recently, the S&P Small Cap 600 Index is projected to increase revenue per share at a 4.1% CAGR from 2025 through 2027. The index estimates are weighted by the companies' market capitalization.

For the S&P MidCap 400 Index MID, the projected two-year revenue CAGR is 5.6%, while the projected two-year sales CAGR for the large-cap S&P 500 is 7.4%. So we rounded that up to 7.5% and then doubled it to 15% for our minimum revenue CAGR projection for the small-cap group.

Here is the entire list of 25 companies that passed the screen, sorted by projected revenue CAGR from 2025 through 2027:

   Company                                    Two-year estimated sales CAGR through 2027  Two-year estimated EPS CAGR through 2027  Jan. 14 price  Consensus price target  Implied 12-month upside potential 
   SM Energy Co.                                                                   52.9%                                     -4.3%         $18.57                  $32.25                                74% 
   TG Therapeutics Inc.                                                            40.0%                                     -8.7%         $29.54                  $44.86                                52% 
   Krystal Biotech Inc.                                                            38.0%                                     21.0%        $291.79                 $271.09                                -7% 
   SiTime Corp.                                                                    34.5%                                     46.3%        $349.20                 $352.79                                 1% 
   Beacon Financial Corp.                                                          32.5%                                     40.7%         $26.79                  $31.33                                17% 
   Corcept Therapeutics Inc.                                                       29.6%                                     81.9%         $37.04                  $91.00                               146% 
   StepStone Group Inc.                                                            24.3%                                     22.2%         $73.50                  $75.14                                 2% 
   Impinj Inc.                                                                     23.1%                                     37.5%        $181.36                 $241.11                                33% 
   Millrose Properties Inc.                                                        22.5%                                     13.8%         $30.54                  $38.08                                25% 
   Vital Farms Inc.                                                                22.2%                                     22.3%         $29.55                  $49.45                                67% 
   Agilysys Inc.                                                                   20.9%                                     31.0%        $112.71                 $139.72                                24% 
   Supernus Pharmaceuticals Inc.                                                   19.7%                                     31.2%         $51.80                  $61.33                                18% 
   FB Financial Corp.                                                              19.3%                                     14.4%         $59.14                  $65.17                                10% 
   TransMedics Group Inc.                                                          19.1%                                     16.9%        $141.96                 $146.00                                 3% 
   DigitalOcean Holdings Inc.                                                      19.1%                                      9.3%         $52.70                  $54.33                                 3% 
   CareTrust REIT Inc.                                                             18.9%                                      8.2%         $37.25                  $40.70                                 9% 
   Vericel Corp.                                                                   18.9%                                     86.9%         $37.33                  $55.00                                47% 
   Palomar Holdings Inc.                                                           18.4%                                     12.9%        $130.31                 $164.75                                26% 
   Astrana Health Inc.                                                             18.3%                                     94.8%         $25.68                  $36.89                                44% 
   Dime Community Bancshares Inc.                                                  18.1%                                     30.4%         $30.11                  $34.50                                15% 
   Harmonic Inc.                                                                   17.8%                                     58.3%          $9.95                  $11.79                                18% 
   Cactus Inc.                                                                     17.1%                                     12.6%         $52.00                  $51.00                                -2% 
   Essential Properties Realty Trust Inc.                                          16.6%                                      5.7%         $30.45                  $35.76                                17% 
   Enova International Inc.                                                        15.7%                                     18.0%        $159.90                 $184.50                                15% 
   Mirion Technologies Inc.                                                        15.2%                                     20.7%         $26.25                  $30.50                                16% 
                                                                                                                                                                                             Source: FactSet

Among the 25 companies, consensus price targets indicate double-digit (or better) upside potential for 18 of them over the next 12 months. However, that might be considered a relatively short period for committed investors looking at rapidly growing companies.

Click on the tickers for more about each company.

Read: Tomi Kilgore's guide to the wealth of information available for free on the MarketWatch quote page

Don't miss: This ETF from a 106-year-old firm has crushed rivals while avoiding 'Magnificent Seven' stocks

-Philip van Doorn

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

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Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and more to report earnings Wednesday

Investing.com

United Community Banks, Inc.

Earnings season continues as we look ahead to another busy day of financial results. Below we highlight companies expected to report earnings on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, so you can position yourself for the market’s reaction. Leading the action are banking giants Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo, alongside IT services provider Infosys and regional lender Home BancShares.

Earnings Before the Open:

• Bank Of America (BAC): EPS estimate of $0.9562 on revenue of $27.55B

• Citigroup (C): EPS estimate of $1.70 on revenue of $20.55B

• Wells Fargo (WFC): EPS estimate of $1.66 on revenue of $21.64B

• Infosy Tech (INFY): EPS estimate of $0.2014 on revenue of $5.03B

• United Community Banks (UCB): EPS estimate of $0.7143 on revenue of $273.56M

• Corus Entertainmt B (CJREF): EPS estimate of $0.0286 on revenue of $194.06M

Earnings After the Close:

• Home BancShares (HOMB): EPS estimate of $0.5985 on revenue of $272.48M

• HB Fuller Comp (FUL): EPS estimate of $1.23 on revenue of $902.51M

• Calavo Growers (CVGW): EPS estimate of $0.42 on revenue of $169.5M

• RF Industries (RFIL): EPS estimate of $0.08 on revenue of $19.75M

Be sure to check back daily for updates and insights into the earnings season and get real-time results at Investing.com’s Earnings Calendar and latest headlines. Do you want to trade the earnings of the biggest companies like a pro? Then get InvestingPro now and access over 1000 metrics that will give you a significant advantage in the shark tank that is Wall Street. Click here.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

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Calavo (CVGW) To Report Earnings Tomorrow: Here Is What To Expect

Stock Story

Calavo Growers

+0.75%

Fresh produce company Calavo Growers will be announcing earnings results this Wednesday after market hours. Here’s what investors should know.

Calavo missed analysts’ revenue expectations by 7% last quarter, reporting revenues of $178.8 million, flat year on year. It was a slower quarter for the company, with a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and a miss of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

Is Calavo a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it’s free for active Edge members.

This quarter, analysts are expecting Calavo’s revenue to decline 12.9% year on year to $148 million, a reversal from the 19.5% increase it recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $0.37 per share.

Analysts covering the company have generally reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. Calavo has missed Wall Street’s revenue estimates five times over the last two years.

Looking at Calavo’s peers in the consumer staples segment, some have already reported their Q3 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Mission Produce’s revenues decreased 10% year on year, beating analysts’ expectations by 8.5%, and United Natural Foods reported flat revenue, falling short of estimates by 0.9%. Mission Produce’s stock price was unchanged after the resultswhile United Natural Foods was down 3%.

Read our full analysis of Mission Produce’s results here and United Natural Foods’s results here.

Investors in the consumer staples segment have had steady hands going into earnings, with share prices flat over the last month. Calavo is up 3.1% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $32.50 (compared to the current share price of $22.18).

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