The Kraft Heinz Company KHC is likely to witness a top and bottom-line deterioration when it reports first-quarter 2026 earnings on May 6. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $5.91 billion, indicating a 1.5% decrease from the prior-year quarter’s reported figure.
The consensus mark for earnings has remained unchanged in the past 30 days at 50 cents per share, implying a decline of 19.4% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. KHC has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 7%, on average.
Kraft Heinz Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Kraft Heinz Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Kraft Heinz Company Quote
Factors Likely to Influence KHC’s Upcoming Results
As The Kraft Heinz Company approaches its first-quarter 2026 earnings release, the top-line performance is expected to have remained subdued. Organic sales are likely to benefit by roughly 100 basis points from the Easter shift in the first quarter. However, excluding this, results are anticipated to be relatively in line with fourth-quarter trends. Ongoing pressure from lower SNAP benefits and cautious consumer spending is expected to have kept volumes and overall demand muted. Our model suggests volumes to be down 3.9% in the first quarter of 2026.
On its fourth quarter earnings call, management indicated adjusted operating income would decline in the high-teens range in the first quarter, reflecting increased investments in marketing and pricing. While these investments are expected to have weighed on near-term profitability, their benefits to sales are likely to have materialized more gradually. Continued inflation in commodity and manufacturing costs, along with unfavorable volume leverage, is also anticipated to have pressured margins, limiting near-term profitability.
International performance is expected to have remained pressured, with mixed trends across regions. While emerging markets might have continued to see underlying growth, Indonesia is likely to have remained a headwind due to prior inventory resets and distributor-related disruption.
Earnings Whispers for KHC
Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for The Kraft Heinz Company 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 exactly the case here.
The Kraft Heinz Company carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and has an Earnings ESP of +3.08%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
More Stocks With the Favorable Combination
Here are a few other companies worth considering, as our model shows that these, too, have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this reporting cycle.
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. BJ currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.74% and a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BJ's Wholesale Club’s upcoming quarter’s EPS is pegged at $1.05, which implies 7.9% decline year over year. The consensus estimate for the quarterly revenues is pinned at $5.39 billion, which indicates 4.6% growth from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. BJ delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.4%, on average.
Celsius Holdings, Inc. CELH currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.00% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The consensus mark for the upcoming quarter’s revenues is pegged at $755.2 million, which indicates an increase of 129.4% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Celsius Holdings’ quarterly earnings per share of 29 cents implies growth of 61.1% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. CELH delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 45.3%, on average.
Freshpet, Inc. FRPT currently has an Earnings ESP of +25.37% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The consensus estimate for Freshpet’s quarterly revenues is pinned at $291 million, which indicates 10.6% growth from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Freshpet’s upcoming quarter’s EPS is pegged at 6 cents, which implies a 33.3% decrease year over year. FRPT delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 50%, on average.
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BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (BJ): Free Stock Analysis Report
Freshpet, Inc. (FRPT): Free Stock Analysis Report
Kraft Heinz Company (KHC): Free Stock Analysis Report
Celsius Holdings Inc. (CELH): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).