Conagra Brands, Inc. CAG is likely to witness top-line growth when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on July 15. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $2.88 billion, indicating an increase of 3.4% from the prior-year quarter’s reported figure.
The consensus mark for earnings has remained unchanged in the past 30 days at 46 cents per share, indicating a drop of 17.9% from the figure recorded in the year-ago quarter. CAG has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average.
Conagra Brands Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Conagra Brands price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Conagra Brands Quote
Factors Likely to Influence CAG’s Q4 Results
Conagra Brands' emphasis on restoring volume growth across its branded food portfolio is likely to have supported fiscal fourth-quarter performance. The company is likely to have benefited from improving demand for frozen and snack products, coupled with innovation-led growth and better shipment trends. Continued market-share gains across key frozen and snack categories, supported by effective merchandising initiatives, are also likely to have reinforced overall business momentum.
The company has been witnessing healthier consumer demand in its growth-focused businesses after emphasizing volume recovery over aggressive pricing. Meanwhile, its staple categories are likely to have continued benefiting from selective inflation-driven pricing actions with favorable elasticity. This measured approach, combined with sustained brand investments and a solid innovation pipeline, is likely to have reinforced competitive positioning during the quarter.
Conagra Brands' ongoing productivity and cost-saving initiatives are likely to have supported operational performance in the fiscal fourth quarter. The company's productivity initiatives, supply-chain investments and technology improvements are likely to have delivered efficiencies across the business. Normalized shipment patterns and contributions from new product launches might have strengthened operational execution, while productivity savings and disciplined cost management are likely to have helped offset cost pressures during the quarter.
Despite these positives, profitability is likely to have remained under pressure during the quarter. Elevated commodity, protein and tariff-related costs are likely to have continued to weigh on margins despite the company's ongoing productivity initiatives. The company's strategy of prioritizing volume recovery over fully offsetting inflation through pricing might also have constrained earnings growth. We expect the adjusted gross margin to contract 110 basis points to 24.7% in the fiscal fourth quarter.
Earnings Whispers for CAG Stock
Our proven model doesn’t conclusively predict an earnings beat for Conagra Brands this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here.
Conagra Brands currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and an Earnings ESP of +1.09%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Stocks With the Favorable Combination
Here are some companies worth considering, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this reporting cycle.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation KMB currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.44% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kimberly-Clark’s upcoming quarterly revenues is pegged at $4.23 billion. The figure implies a 1.7% increase from the prior-year quarter. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kimberly-Clark’s quarterly earnings per share is pegged at $2.00, indicating a 4.2% gain from the year-ago period figure. KMB delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 19.1%, on average.
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. LW currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.40% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The consensus estimate for LW’s quarterly revenues is pinned at $1.70 billion, which calls for 1.5% growth from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Lamb Weston’s upcoming quarter’s EPS is pegged at 62 cents, which implies a 28.7% decrease year over year. LW delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 23.5%, on average.
Tyson Foods, Inc. TSN currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.32% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The consensus estimate for Tyson Foods’ quarterly revenues is pinned at $14.29 billion, which indicates 2.9% growth from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the upcoming quarter’s EPS is pegged at $1.01, which implies a 11% increase year over year. TSN delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of nearly 18.1%, on average.
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Conagra Brands (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).