KellogKTOP PICKApr 22, 2014Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Dec 10, 2025. Market Open.
Last summer, they announced spinning off their cereal business from it snacking business. However, packaged foods stocks have fallen out of fashion. Investors don't want recession stocks like this. So, K has hit 52-week lows despite delivering a strong quarter and raised their full-year forecast last week. Strong brands have withstood higher product prices.
Don't buy. It had a nice, not big, little run, so take profits. Mondelez is better.
They took over Pringles last year. This whole space has been extremely challenged. They struggle to grow and particularly in the cereal space. They are having trouble because people's' preferences have changed. There are higher raw materials costs. We are moving away from snacks as well as cereals. Some of these tried to attract investors with high returns of capital. In fact they are just giving back your own capital and not producing enough to cover these big dividends. We should see it 12% lower next year.
This is your classic defensive play. A consumer staples company that has a low PE of about 13 as opposed to the market which is about 17. The period of seasonal strength for this can run between now, April through to July. Consumer Staples in general can do well all the way through to October. The average gain from April 27 to October 7 is 9.18%. On the technicals, the chart shows what he would call a bit of a Bull flag. This sharpness has come on during takeover talks, but he is not playing it on this basis, but on a seasonal basis.