Packaged Foods & Meats

Goldman Sachs has downgraded Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) from Neutral to Sell.

Pre-open movers US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting earnings from General Motors Co (NYSE: GM) and weekly jobless claims data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 70 points to 11,748.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 8.60 points to 1,245.90. Nasdaq...

Kraft (KFT): Q2 EPS of $0.62 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $13.9B (+13.3% Y/Y) beats by $0.75B. Lifts 2011 outlook: Sees op. EPS of at least $2.25, up from prior guidance of at least $2.20, and organic net revenue growth [...]

Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) announced that its Board of Directors intends to create two independent public companies: A high-growth global snacks business and a high-margin North American grocery business.

Kraft Foods Inc (NYSE: KFT) reported a 4.2% rise in its second-quarter profit and raised its projections for the year. Kraft's quarterly profit rose to $976 million, or $0.55 per share, from $937 million, or $0.53 per share, in the year-ago period. Its revenue climbed 13% to $13.88 billion. Kraft'...

US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting earnings from General Motors Co (NYSE: GM) and weekly jobless claims data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 44 points to 11,774.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 5.20 points to 1,249.30. Nasdaq 100 futures...

Unilever NV (NYSE: UN) reported a 10% rise in its first half earnings. Unilever's net profit surged to euro2.235 billion ($3.12 billion), from euro2.035 billion, in the year-ago period. Its sales climbed 4.1% to euro22.1 billion. Unilever said "underlying" sales growth was 7.1% in the second...

Alpha Natural Resources Inc (NYSE: ANR) is expected to report its Q2 EPS at $1.12 on revenue of $1.47 billion. Kraft Foods Inc (NYSE: KFT) is projected to report its Q2 EPS at $0.58 on revenue of $13.15 billion. CIGNA Corporation (NYSE: CI) is estimated to report its Q2 EPS at $1.29 on revenue of...

Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are: Wall Street expects General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) to report its Q2 EPS at $1.20 on revenue of $36.71 billion. GM shares surged 1.21% to $27.50 in after-hours trading. Zumiez Inc (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) reported a 4.9% rise in its July sales at...

Smart Balance, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMBL) today announced it acquired 100% of the equity interest of Importations DE-RO-MA, which owns Glutino Food Group, for $66.3 million, from Claridge, a Montreal-based investment firm. Based in Laval, Quebec, Glutino is a manufacturer and marketer of gluten-free...

The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) reported earnings this morning that were solidly higher than what Wall Street was expecting, but the real news is what is Carl Ichan going to do with the company? The Oakland-based company reported fourth quarter earnings of $1.26 per share on $1.48 billion in...

JP Morgan provided color on the protein sector. In a research report published today, the rating agency stressed it believes Smithfield (NYSE: SFD) has the best chance to beat Q2 expectations. In the report, JP Morgan States, “We think that the company most likely to beat the Street over...

JP Morgan reiterated its Neutral rating on Dean Foods (NYSE: DF). At the same time, the rating agency left its price target on the company's stock unchanged at $13. On Monday, DF closed the day at $10.83.

Stocks trading at or near 52-week highs and lows provide excellent trading opportunities, as volatility tends to increase at such levels and exit/entry points become more clearly defined. The following stocks hit new 52-week highs in Monday's trading session (listed from highest total volume to...

Below are the top farm products stocks on the NYSE and the NASDAQ in terms of dividend yield. Calavo Growers Inc (NASDAQ: CVGW) has a dividend yield of 2.70%. CVGW's shares closed at $20.47 yesterday. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) has a dividend yield of 2.10%. ADM's shares closed at...