JM Smucker appoints former Hershey executive as senior VP of operations and supply chain

Utz UTZ.N agreed to be taken private by Germany’s Intersnack Group, with Utz’s founding families, in a deal valued at nearly $3 billion, the first U.S. acquisition for Intersnack. The article cites other family-led snack deals including Ferrero’s purchases of WK Kellogg and Power Crunch, and Mars’s $36 billion take-private of Kellanova. It notes valuation multiples and potential targets.

JM Smucker said its Uncrustables brand surpassed $1 billion in annual sales in Q4, adding 3 million new households over the past year. The company reported Q4 earnings of $2.77 per share on $2.27 billion revenue, beating estimates of $2.65 on $2.27 billion, and shares rose over 10% after hours to $112.98. Smucker cited growth in Café Bustelo and pet brands.

J.M. Smucker said it expects profit improvement in coffee as the commodity environment moderates, while it is cautious about forecasting volume response to lower prices because consumers remain guarded. For fiscal 2027, it expects net sales roughly flat in Q1, with coffee deflation impacting more in Q2+. Uncrustables hit $1B sales; Smucker targets mid-single-digit growth in fiscal 2027. It generated $1.2B free cash flow in 2026, repaying $700M+ debt, and targets at least $1B FCF in 2027 while as

US stocks pared early gains as chipmakers and software firms fell. Marvell, Qualcomm, ARM and others dropped, while ServiceNow and Salesforce also declined. Treasury yields were pressured by a $58B 3-year auction and stronger May existing home sales. In Europe, Bund and gilt yields fell; swaps price a 100% chance of a 25 bp ECB hike. UNFI slid after Q3 sales missed; Nuvalent surged on a $10.6B GSK buyout.

J.M. Smucker shares rose Tuesday after the company reported fiscal 2026 Q4 results that beat Wall Street. Net sales grew 6% to $2.3B, helped by price increases offsetting volume declines. Adjusted EPS rose 20% to $2.77 vs. $2.64 expected; adjusted operating income rose 14% to $59.7M. Free cash flow increased 42% to $1.2B.

Wall Street swung as AI-related chip and memory stocks reversed after early gains. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% (7,386.65), the Nasdaq dropped 1% (25,678.82), and the Dow rose 0.2% (50,872.11). Micron slid 1.4% after a 10% drop; it had surged 9.9% Monday. Oil eased (Brent -3% to $91.45) but AI weakness outweighed. GSK agreed to buy Nuvalent for $10.6B, sending Nuvalent up 39.3%.