The following are the top rated Consumer Staples stocks according to Validea's P/E/Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Peter Lynch. This strategy looks for stocks trading at a reasonable price relative to earnings growth that also possess strong balance sheets.
SMITHFIELD FOODS INC (SFD) is a mid-cap value stock in the Food Processing industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 91% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company, which is focused on packaged meats and fresh pork products. The Company markets its products under a portfolio of brands including Smithfield, Eckrich and Nathans Famous, among many others. It operates through three segments: Packaged Meats, Fresh Pork, and Hog Production. The Packaged Meats segment consists of its U.S. operations that process fresh meat into a variety of packaged meat products, including bacon, sausage, hot dogs, deli and lunch meats, dry sausage products, ham products, ready-to-eat products and prepared foods. The Fresh Pork segment consists of its U.S. operations that process live hogs into a variety of primal, sub-primal and offal products, such as bellies, butts, hams, loins, picnics and ribs. The Hog Production segment consists of its hog production operations in the United States, which produce and raise hogs on numerous Company-owned farms and farms that are owned and operated by third-party contract farmers.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| YIELD ADJUSTED P/E TO GROWTH (PEG) RATIO: | PASS |
| EARNINGS PER SHARE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of SMITHFIELD FOODS INC
ANDERSONS INC (ANDE) is a small-cap value stock in the Crops industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 74% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: The Andersons, Inc., is a diversified company. The Company's segments include Agribusiness and Renewables. The Agribusiness segment includes commodity merchandising, the operation of terminal grain elevator facilities, and the manufacturing and distribution plant nutrient products. The Company's fertilizer categories include PureGrade, MicroSolutions, soil amendments, organic nutrients, and nitrogen, phosphorus and potash (NPK). Its farmer services include farm centers, originations & farmer risk management - United States, and originations & farmer risk management - Canada. Its merchandising include carbon; corn, beans, wheat, meal; ethanol; export; high-protein feed ingredient; propane and fuel products; fats, oils, and greases; wheat middlings, cottonseed, DDGS, and pet food ingredients. The Renewables segment produces, purchases and sells ethanol and co-products. The segment also operates a merchandising portfolio of ethanol, ethanol co-products and renewable diesel feedstocks.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| P/E/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of ANDERSONS INC
SYSCO CORP (SYY) is a large-cap growth stock in the Food Processing industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 74% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Sysco Corporation is engaged in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. It also supplies a variety of non-food items. Its segments include U.S. Foodservice Operations, International Foodservice Operations, SYGMA and Other. U.S. Foodservice Operations segment includes United States Broadline operations and United States Specialty operations. International Foodservice Operations include operations outside of the United States. SYGMA segment includes its United States customized distribution operations serving quick-service chain restaurant customer locations. Other segment includes primarily its hotel supply operations, Guest Worldwide. It distributes various products, such as frozen foods, fresh meats and seafood, dairy products, beverage products, imported specialties, and fresh produce. It operates around 340 distribution facilities worldwide.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| P/E/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | FAIL |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of SYSCO CORP
VITAL FARMS, INC. (VITL) is a small-cap growth stock in the Food Processing industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 74% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Vital Farms, Inc. offers a range of ethically produced foods nationwide. The Company is a national consumer brand that works with more than 450 family farms and is the United States brand of pasture-raised eggs. The Company focuses on the humane treatment of farm animals and sustainable farming practices. Its products, including shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs, are sold in approximately 26,000 stores nationwide. The Company packages, markets and distributes shell eggs, butter, and other products. The retail varieties of its shell eggs are based on supplemental feed type, egg size, and pack size. Its egg packaging consists primarily of corrugated boxes and egg cartons. The Company offers unsalted and sea-salted varieties of its butter, which are sold in two-stick and four-stick packs. The Companys products are principally sold under the name Vital Farms in addition to other trade names, primarily to retail and foodservice channels in the United States.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| P/E/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | NEUTRAL |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of VITAL FARMS, INC.
FLOWERS FOODS INC (FLO) is a mid-cap value stock in the Food Processing industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 72% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Flowers Foods, Inc. is a producer and marketer of packaged bakery foods in the United States. The Company operates bakeries across the country that produce a wide range of bakery products. Its principal products include breads, buns, rolls, snack items, bagels, English muffins, and tortillas and are sold under a variety of brand names, including Natures Own, Daves Killer Bread (DKB), Wonder, Canyon Bakehouse, Tastykake, and Mrs. Freshleys. Its brands and products are sold through various channels throughout the United States. These channels include supermarkets, drugstores, mass merchandisers, discount stores, club stores, convenience stores, thrift outlet stores, and foodservice, among others. It also supplies national and regional restaurants, institutions and foodservice distributors, and retail in-store bakeries with breads and rolls; sells packaged bakery products to wholesale distributors for ultimate sale to a wide variety of food outlets; and sells packaged snack cakes.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| SALES: | PASS |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| YIELD COMPARED TO THE S&P 500: | PASS |
| YIELD ADJUSTED P/E/GROWTH (PEG) RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | FAIL |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of FLOWERS FOODS INC
About Peter Lynch: Perhaps the greatest mutual fund manager of all-time, Lynch guided Fidelity Investment's Magellan Fund to a 29.2 percent average annual return from 1977 until his retirement in 1990, almost doubling the S&P 500's 15.8 percent yearly return over that time. Lynch's common sense approach and quick wit made him one of the most quoted investors on Wall Street. ("Go for a business that any idiot can run -- because sooner or later, any idiot probably is going to run it," is one of his many pearls of wisdom.) Lynch's bestseller One Up on Wall Street is something of a "stocks for the everyman/everywoman", breaking his approach down into easy-to-understand concepts.
About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
