General Mills (NYSE:GIS) Downgraded to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

GIS has been the subject of several other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of General Mills in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of General Mills from $49.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $63.00 target price on General Mills and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on General Mills from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on General Mills from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.37.

General Mills Stock Performance

NYSE GIS opened at $44.63 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $46.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $23.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.60 and a beta of -0.06. General Mills has a 1-year low of $42.78 and a 1-year high of $67.35.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, December 17th. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.78 billion. General Mills had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 13.51%.General Mills’s revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.40 earnings per share. General Mills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.580-3.790 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that General Mills will post 4.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at General Mills

In related news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.15, for a total value of $72,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 48,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,338,549.20. This represents a 3.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in General Mills by 2.7% in the second quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. Austin Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of General Mills by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. grew its stake in shares of General Mills by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 5,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Smith Moore & CO. increased its holdings in shares of General Mills by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 8,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of General Mills by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.71% of the company’s stock.

More General Mills News

Here are the key news stories impacting General Mills this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BofA remains bullish on General Mills, arguing underlying brand strength and margins justify confidence despite a tougher backdrop. BofA remains bullish on General Mills (GIS) – here’s why
• Positive Sentiment: Investment articles highlight General Mills as a high-yield dividend pick, which supports the stock’s defensive appeal for income investors. 2 No-Brainer Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage on product strategy notes General Mills is pushing protein-forward cereals to win health-conscious shoppers — a potential long-term revenue stabilizer if execution succeeds. Is General Mills (GIS) Using Protein Cereals to Reposition Its Core Brand Strategy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analyst-roundup pieces provide mixed takeaways and context on consumer food stocks (General Mills vs. peers), offering industry comparatives rather than firm-specific bullish/bearish calls. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Goods Companies: General Mills (GIS) and Kenvue, Inc. (KVUE)
• Neutral Sentiment: Another analyst roundup compares General Mills to Hormel Foods, useful for relative valuation/strategy context but not a clear directional catalyst. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Goods Companies: General Mills (GIS) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Post‑quarter “buy/sell/hold” coverage reexamines the stock after Q4 results — useful for horizon investors but not a near-term price catalyst. General Mills (GIS): Buy, sell, or hold post Q4 earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler cut its price target on GIS to $53, reducing upside expectations and signaling more cautious views on near-term growth. Piper Sandler Lowers General Mills (NYSE:GIS) Price Target to $53.00
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo lowered its price target to $45, another downward revision that likely increases selling pressure. Wells Fargo & Company Lowers General Mills (NYSE:GIS) Price Target to $45.00
• Negative Sentiment: News coverage highlights General Mills cutting guidance and warning of a “challenging backdrop,” which directly pressures valuation and investor sentiment. General Mills Guidance Cut Tests Valuation Appeal And Consumer Resilience
• Negative Sentiment: Additional pieces argue the company’s growth prospects are impaired and that historically low valuations may no longer be a buy signal, reinforcing bearish views. General Mills wipes out prospects for growth amid “challenging backdrop” General Mills: Why Historically Low Valuations Are No Longer A ‘Buy’ Signal
• Negative Sentiment: WSJ coverage underscores that a cut in outlook “slammed” the stock, summarizing market reaction to the weaker guidance and execution concerns. General Mills Wants to Win Health-Conscious Shoppers; Cut in Outlook Slams Stock

General Mills Company Profile

General Mills, Inc (NYSE: GIS) is a multinational consumer foods company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded food products. Its product categories include ready-to-eat and hot cereals, baking mixes and ingredients, snacks and bars, refrigerated and frozen doughs, yogurt and other dairy products, and a variety of shelf-stable meals and meal components. The company’s portfolio features widely recognized consumer brands across grocery store, mass channel and foodservice outlets.

Founded in the early 20th century and incorporated under its current name in 1928, General Mills has grown through both internal brand development and strategic expansion to become a global food company.