Winners And Losers Of Q3: BellRing Brands (NYSE:BRBR) Vs The Rest Of The Shelf-Stable Food Stocks

The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how shelf-stable food stocks fared in Q3, starting with BellRing Brands (NYSE:BRBR).

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 21 shelf-stable food stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.9%.

Luckily, shelf-stable food stocks have performed well with share prices up 125% on average since the latest earnings results.

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 $648.2 million, up 16.6% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2.3%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a slower quarter for the company with full-year EBITDA guidance missing analysts’ expectations and a significant miss of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

“We delivered strong results in 2025, with sales up 16% driven by expanding household penetration, continued distribution gains and meaningful innovation performance,” said Darcy Davenport, President and Chief Executive Officer of BellRing.

BellRing Brands scored the fastest revenue growth of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is up 13.5% since reporting and currently trades at $29.07.

Read our full report on BellRing Brands here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Best 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 $410.2 million, down 3.9% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. The business had a very strong quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 11.3% since reporting. It currently trades at $92.47.

Is now the time to buy J&J Snack Foods? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Slowest Q3: TreeHouse Foods (NYSE:THS)

Whether it be packaged crackers, broths, or beverages, Treehouse Foods (NYSE:THS) produces a wide range of private-label foods for grocery and food service customers.

TreeHouse Foods reported revenues of $841.9 million, down 1.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and gross margin estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 23.9% since the results and currently trades at $23.61.

Read our full analysis of TreeHouse Foods’s results here.

The Marzetti Company (NASDAQ:MZTI)

Known for its frozen garlic bread and Parkerhouse rolls, The Marzetti Company (NASDAQ:MZTI) sells bread, dressing, and dips to the retail and food service channels.

The Marzetti Company reported revenues of $482.8 million, up 3.5% year on year. This result topped analysts’ expectations by 1.8%. Zooming out, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

The stock is up 6.9% since reporting and currently trades at $169.15.

Read our full, actionable report on The Marzetti Company here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL)

Best known for its SPAM brand, Hormel (NYSE:HRL) is a packaged foods company with products that span meat, poultry, shelf-stable foods, and spreads.

Hormel Foods reported revenues of $3.19 billion, up 1.5% year on year. This print lagged analysts' expectations by 2%. More broadly, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Hormel Foods had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is up 1.6% since reporting and currently trades at $23.80.

Read our full, actionable report on Hormel Foods here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump’s presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Growth Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.