Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires 28,076 Shares of Conagra Brands $CAG

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) by 113.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 52,923 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 28,076 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Conagra Brands were worth $969,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CAG. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 202.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,227 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,427 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in Conagra Brands during the second quarter valued at $26,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Conagra Brands in the second quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 844.4% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,427 shares during the period. Finally, Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Conagra Brands by 249.0% during the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Conagra Brands from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Conagra Brands from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Conagra Brands from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Conagra Brands from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $19.07.

Conagra Brands Stock Performance

Conagra Brands stock opened at $18.82 on Thursday. Conagra Brands has a 1-year low of $15.96 and a 1-year high of $28.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.00 billion, a PE ratio of -85.52 and a beta of -0.01. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.18.

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.01. Conagra Brands had a negative net margin of 0.87% and a positive return on equity of 10.59%. The firm had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.70 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Conagra Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.85 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Conagra Brands will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Conagra Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 27th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.4%. Conagra Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -636.36%.

Key Headlines Impacting Conagra Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Conagra Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target increases: Wells Fargo raised its PT to $20 (maintained Equal Weight) and Morgan Stanley nudged its PT to $19 — modest analyst support that signals limited upside from current levels. Wells Fargo raises PT to $20 Morgan Stanley raises PT to $19
• Positive Sentiment: Board refresh: Conagra added two independent directors (John Mulligan and Pietro Satriano), expanding the board to 12 — a governance move that investors typically view as constructive. Conagra appoints two directors
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reaffirmed FY‑2026 EPS guidance (1.70–1.85) and emphasized strong cash generation; this reduces downside risk but didn’t change the market’s view on near-term demand. Conagra reaffirms 2026 outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: CAG presented at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY); slides and prepared remarks reiterated strategy and priorities but offered no major surprises. Investors may wait for execution data. CAGNY prepared remarks CAGNY slideshow
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation note: coverage pieces are flagging that shares are trading near consensus targets — a reminder that analysts’ room for upside is limited absent stronger revenue/earnings beats. Valuation review
• Negative Sentiment: Sector and demand worries pressured the stock: reports note Conagra shares fell despite the reaffirmed guidance as investors focused on soft category demand and broader packaged-food headwinds. That market sentiment is the primary driver of today’s decline. Investing.com: Conagra falls amid sector concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market writeups called the company update underwhelming for near-term growth — coverage highlighting that the guidance was already baked in and failed to address demand trends, which amplified selling. Fool: Why CAG sank

Conagra Brands Company Profile

Conagra Brands, Inc is a leading packaged foods company based in Chicago, Illinois, with a broad portfolio of shelf-stable, frozen and refrigerated foods marketed under familiar brands. The company develops, produces and distributes a wide range of consumer food products, serving both retail grocery and foodservice channels. Conagra’s product lineup includes frozen entrees, snacks, condiments, baking goods and desserts, providing convenient meal solutions for consumers across North America and select international markets.

Among its well-known brands are Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Marie Callender’s and Banquet in the frozen foods category, as well as Hunt’s sauces, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn, Slim Jim meat snacks and Reddi-wip toppings.