Let’s dig into the relative performance of Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q3 shelf-stable food earnings season.

As America industrialized and moved away from an agricultural economy, people faced more demands on their time. Packaged foods emerged as a solution offering convenience to the evolving American family, whether it be canned goods or snacks. Today, Americans seek brands that are high in quality, reliable, and reasonably priced. Furthermore, there's a growing emphasis on health-conscious and sustainable food options. Packaged food stocks are considered resilient investments. People always need to eat, so these companies can enjoy consistent demand as long as they stay on top of changing consumer preferences. The industry spans from multinational corporations to smaller specialized firms and is subject to food safety and labeling regulations.

The 20 shelf-stable food stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 5.7% below.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.

Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC)

Known for its frozen garlic bread and Parkerhouse rolls, Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) sells bread, dressing, and dips to the retail and food service channels.

Lancaster Colony reported revenues of $466.6 million, up 1.1% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a miss of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.

CEO David A. Ciesinski commented, “We were pleased to complete the quarter with record sales of $466.6 million and record gross profit of $110.8 million. In the Retail segment, we saw continued growth from our licensing program driven by the Subway® sauces we launched this past spring and expanding distribution for Texas Roadhouse® dinner rolls following a successful pilot test.”

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 1.1% since reporting and currently trades at $182.54.

Read our full report on Lancaster Colony here, it’s free.

Best Q3: BellRing Brands (NYSE:BRBR)

Spun out of Post Holdings in 2019, Bellring Brands (NYSE:BRBR) offers protein shakes, nutrition bars, and other products under the PowerBar, Premier Protein, and Dymatize brands.

BellRing Brands reported revenues of $555.8 million, up 17.6% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2%. The business had a strong quarter with full-year revenue guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations and a solid beat of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

BellRing Brands scored the fastest revenue growth and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 7.2% since reporting. It currently trades at $78.74.

Is now the time to buy BellRing Brands? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q3: J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF)

Best known for its SuperPretzel soft pretzels and ICEE frozen drinks, J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) produces a range of snacks and beverages and distributes them primarily to supermarket and food service customers.

J&J Snack Foods reported revenues of $426.8 million, down 3.9% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 2.7% since the results and currently trades at $168.62.

Read our full analysis of J&J Snack Foods’s results here.

Hain Celestial (NASDAQ:HAIN)

Sold in over 75 countries around the world, Hain Celestial (NASDAQ:HAIN) is a natural and organic food company whose products range from snacks to teas to baby food.

Hain Celestial reported revenues of $394.6 million, down 7.2% year on year. This result met analysts’ expectations. More broadly, it was a softer quarter as it produced a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is down 9.3% since reporting and currently trades at $8.08.

Read our full, actionable report on Hain Celestial here, it’s free.

Utz (NYSE:UTZ)

Tracing its roots back to 1921 when Bill and Salie Utz began making potato chips in their kitchen, Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) offers salty snacks such as potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, and ready-to-eat popcorn, among others.

Utz reported revenues of $365.5 million, down 1.7% year on year. This result was in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a strong quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is up 3.2% since reporting and currently trades at $16.73.

Read our full, actionable report on Utz here, it’s free.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has been on a steady path downward, easing back toward that 2% sweet spot. Fortunately (miraculously to some), all this tightening didn’t send the economy tumbling into a recession, so here we are, cautiously celebrating a soft landing. The cherry on top? Recent rate cuts (half a point in September, a quarter in November) have kept 2024 stock markets frothy, especially after Trump’s November win lit a fire under major indices and sent them to all-time highs. However, there's still plenty to ponder — tariffs, corporate tax cuts, and what 2025 might hold for the economy.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 6 Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

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