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Factors to Know Ahead of TreeHouse Foods' (THS) Q1 Earnings

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TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (THS - Free Report) is scheduled to release first-quarter 2020 results on May 7. The company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 0.9% in the last reported quarter. Further, it has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.1%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings has gone up by 10.3% in the past seven days to 32 cents per share. This also suggests a substantial increase from 13 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. However, the consensus mark for revenues stands at $1,047 million, indicating a decline of 19.6% from the year-ago period’s reported figure.

TreeHouse Foods, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

TreeHouse Foods, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

TreeHouse Foods, Inc. price-eps-surprise | TreeHouse Foods, Inc. Quote

Key Factors to Note

TreeHouse Foods has been seeing a drab sales trend for a while now, partly due to SKU rationalization efforts and adverse volume/mix. Also, foreign currency headwinds have been a concern. We note that the company has been particularly struggling with sluggish Baked Goods and Meal Solutions units. Incidentally, the company recently informed that it will reorganize itself into two segments on the basis of market dynamics (Snacking & Beverages, and Meal Preparation) effective first-quarter 2020.

In the last earnings call, management said that it expects a 3-5% decline in net sales in the first half of 2020, which raises concerns over the quarter under review. For the first quarter, management projected net sales in a band of $0.98-$1.02 billion.

Nevertheless, focus on healthy and organic product offerings bodes well. Also, TreeHouse Foods’ restructuring initiatives have been yielding favorably. To this end, the company has been benefiting from its Structure to Win program, which focuses on aligning SG&A expenses with its division structures. Moreover, the company has been on track with its TreeHouse 2020 strategic plan. Alongside cost savings, the initiative has been helping the company manage the portfolio and optimize production and supply chain. The plan was aimed at improving the company’s operating margin by 300 bps by the end of 2020 through complete business integration and expense reduction.

What the Zacks Model Unveils

Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for TreeHouse Foods this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

TreeHouse Foods carries a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of +25.00%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Other Stocks With Favorable Combinations

Here are some more companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat.

Hain Celestial (HAIN - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +9.24% and a Zacks Rank #1.

Smucker (SJM - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +1.65% and a Zacks Rank #1.

Flowers Foods (FLO - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +7.77% and a Zacks Rank #2.

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