Cal - Maine Foods Expands Prepared Foods Business with Van Foods Acquisition

A CNBC report (May 29) cited Morgan Stanley research suggesting dividend initiations can boost returns: stocks announcing regular quarterly dividends outperformed the broader market by about 650 basis points over six months and by about 1,000 basis points over 12 months. Morgan Stanley said initiators often start near a 2.0% yield. The article lists dividend stocks with yields above 3% and analyst upside of at least 10%, including Cal-Maine Foods (6.30% yield; 10.12% upside) and American Electri

MarketBeat’s stock screener lists Deere & Co. (DE), Bunge Global (BG), Valmont Industries (VMI), Corteva (CTVA) and Cal-Maine Foods (CALM) as agriculture stocks to watch. The article says these names had the highest dollar trading volume among agriculture stocks in recent days, offering exposure to sector drivers like weather, commodity prices, demand and policy.

Cal-Maine Foods (CALM) has shown mixed share performance, with a recent uptick despite an 18.8% decline over the past year. Analysts see the stock as undervalued by 21.6%, with a fair value of $98 per share, driven by expected growth in specialty egg and prepared food offerings. However, risks like avian influenza and weaker demand for premium eggs could challenge this optimistic outlook.

Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the largest egg company in the U.S., announced its acquisition of certain assets of the Van’s Foods business from Sara Lee Frozen Bakery LLC. This acquisition supports Cal-Maine's strategy to diversify its business model and grow in the prepared foods sector, particularly in the better-for-you frozen breakfast segment where Van’s holds a leading position in gluten-free waffles. The integration is expected to increase Cal-Maine's prepared foods annual sales by about 10% and volume by 6%, leveraging synergies in cost efficiency, distribution, and product innovation.

Cal-Maine Foods reported a 53% decrease in net sales for its third quarter of fiscal 2026, falling to US$667 million due to significantly lower shell egg prices. Despite the decline in conventional egg sales, which dropped 72.1%, the company saw growth in its specialty egg and prepared foods sectors, with prepared foods sales surging by 441.2% year over year. Cal-Maine anticipates a recovery in its prepared foods segment, projecting increased production capacity and improved margins in the coming years.

Cal-Maine Foods, a major U.S. egg company, has acquired Creighton Brothers and Crystal Lake for $128.5 million. This acquisition significantly expands Cal-Maine Foods' shell egg platform, including both specialty and conventional eggs, adding substantial growth to its portfolio and strengthening its production capacity. The deal also enhances the company's internal sourcing strategy for its prepared foods business and adds key assets like commercial shell egg production, a feed mill, and an egg processing facility.