CAG · Consumer staples(food and kindred products) · 10 years of annual accounts filed with the SEC · latest fiscal year ended 2026-05-31
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Conagra Brands Inc. reported revenue of $11.3 billion in fiscal 2026, after growing 4.1% a year over the previous 9 years. Its operating margin narrowed from 15.8% in 2017 to -14.4%, and it earned -12.6% on its invested capital in the latest year. Of the $13.8 billion its operations generated over 10 years, 43.4% went to acquisitions and 37.6% to dividends; the share count rose 9.9%. On the accounting screens, it passes 5 of 9 Piotroski tests, its Altman Z'' of 0.65 is in the distress zone and its Beneish M-score is below the -1.78 line; 1 of the six cross-checks between its statements fires.
Revenue, fiscal 202611.3B+4.1% a year over 9 years
Operating margin-14.4%gross margin 23.9%
Return on invested capital-12.6%2.1% on average over 5 years
Free cash flow after stock pay924.0M8.2% of revenue
Net debt ÷ EBITDA-5.7×net debt 7.0B
Piotroski F-score5/9tests of improvement passed
Is it growing?
Revenue and the operating income it turns into. Growth that does not reach operating income is growth bought with margin.
RevenueOperating income
-5B05B10B15B
2017Revenue 7.8BOperating income 1.2B
2018Revenue 7.9BOperating income 1.4B
2019Revenue 9.5BOperating income 1.6B
2020Revenue 11.1BOperating income 1.8B
2021Revenue 11.2BOperating income 2.1B
2022Revenue 11.5BOperating income 1.6B
2023Revenue 12.3BOperating income 1.1B
2024Revenue 12.1BOperating income 852.8M
2025Revenue 11.6BOperating income 1.4B
2026Revenue 11.3BOperating income -1.6B
2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Compound growth a year
3 yrs
5 yrs
9 yrs
Revenue
-2.8%
+0.2%
+4.1%
Free cash flow per share
+15.8%
+0.7%
-0.5%
Dividend per share
+2.5%
+7.5%
+4.4%
Shares
-0.1%
-0.4%
+1.1%
Falling shares are buybacks: each remaining share owns more of the company.
Does it earn more than its capital costs?
Margins say how much of each sale is kept; return on invested capital says how much the business earns on the money it needs to operate. Growth only creates value when that return is above the cost of the capital.
Return on invested capitalCost of capital today · 7.6%
-20%-10%0%10%20%
2017Return on invested capital 12.2%
2018Return on invested capital 16.1%
2019Return on invested capital 6.9%
2020Return on invested capital 8.3%
2021Return on invested capital 11.1%
2022Return on invested capital 6.8%
2023Return on invested capital 4.7%
2024Return on invested capital 3.0%
2025Return on invested capital 8.4%
2026Return on invested capital -12.6%
2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Economic profit
Economic profit
-3B-2B-1B01B
2017Economic profit 316.3M
2018Economic profit 610.1M
2019Economic profit -131.2M
2020Economic profit 125.1M
2021Economic profit 582.0M
2022Economic profit -140.8M
2023Economic profit -503.7M
2024Economic profit -727.3M
2025Economic profit 128.6M
2026Economic profit -2.7B
2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
(return on capital − cost of capital) × capital invested: the profit left after paying for the money used. Today's cost of capital is applied to every year, since a past one cannot be rebuilt honestly.
Return on equity
-30.1%
Return on assets
-11.1%
Asset turnover
0.65×
Research & development
0.6% of revenue
Overheads (SG&A)
12.8% of revenue
Is the profit cash, and where does the cash go?
Net income is an accounting opinion; free cash flow is what was left in the bank after investing. Stock-based pay does not leave the bank — shareholders pay it through dilution — so it is shown taken off as well.
Net incomeFree cash flowAfter stock-based pay
-2B-1B01B2B
2017Net income 639.3MFree cash flow 928.1MAfter stock-based pay 892.0M
2018Net income 808.4MFree cash flow 702.6MAfter stock-based pay 664.7M
2019Net income 678.3MFree cash flow 772.4MAfter stock-based pay 738.7M
2020Net income 840.1MFree cash flow 1.5BAfter stock-based pay 1.4B
2021Net income 1.3BFree cash flow 961.7MAfter stock-based pay 897.8M
2022Net income 888.2MFree cash flow 712.9MAfter stock-based pay 686.8M
2023Net income 683.6MFree cash flow 633.2MAfter stock-based pay 554.0M
2024Net income 347.2MFree cash flow 1.6BAfter stock-based pay 1.6B
2025Net income 1.2BFree cash flow 1.3BAfter stock-based pay 1.3B
2026Net income -1.9BFree cash flow 978.7MAfter stock-based pay 924.0M
2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Where 10 years of operating cash went, 2017–2026
13.8B generated by the business. Each band is its share of that total.
Reinvested in the business 27%3.8B
Acquisitions 43%6.0B
Dividends 38%5.2B
Share buybacks 18%2.5B
More than it generated: funded with cash or new debt -27%-3.7B
Over the same years it paid 463.1M in stock. The share count rose 9.9%. 2.1B of the buybacks went beyond offsetting that dilution.
Per share
Earnings per shareFree cash flow per shareDividend per share
-$6-$4-$2$0$2$4
2017Earnings per share $1.47Free cash flow per share $2.13Dividend per share $0.95
2018Earnings per share $1.98Free cash flow per share $1.72Dividend per share $0.84
2019Earnings per share $1.52Free cash flow per share $1.73Dividend per share $0.80
2020Earnings per share $1.72Free cash flow per share $3.01Dividend per share $0.85
2021Earnings per share $2.66Free cash flow per share $1.97Dividend per share $0.97
2022Earnings per share $1.84Free cash flow per share $1.48Dividend per share $1.21
2023Earnings per share $1.42Free cash flow per share $1.32Dividend per share $1.30
2024Earnings per share $0.72Free cash flow per share $3.39Dividend per share $1.37
2025Earnings per share $2.40Free cash flow per share $2.72Dividend per share $1.40
2026Earnings per share $-4.00Free cash flow per share $2.04Dividend per share $1.40
2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Shares outstanding
Diluted shares
400M425M450M475M500M
2017Diluted shares 436.0M
2018Diluted shares 407.4M
2019Diluted shares 445.6M
2020Diluted shares 488.6M
2021Diluted shares 487.8M
2022Diluted shares 482.2M
2023Diluted shares 480.7M
2024Diluted shares 480.0M
2025Diluted shares 479.7M
2026Diluted shares 479.0M
2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Debt and liquidity
Debt is not bad in itself; debt the business cannot service in a bad year is. Net debt is debt minus cash, and below zero the company holds more cash than it owes.
Net debt
05B10B15B
2017Net debt 2.7B
2018Net debt 3.4B
2019Net debt 10.4B
2020Net debt 9.2B
2021Net debt 8.2B
2022Net debt 8.7B
2023Net debt 8.5B
2024Net debt 7.4B
2025Net debt 7.2B
2026Net debt 7.0B
2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Net debt ÷ EBITDA
-5.7×
Interest coverage
-4× operating income ÷ interest
Current ratio
0.90 current assets ÷ current liabilities
Cash conversion cycle
38 days collects in 21d, stock 81d, pays in 64d
Three classic screens of the accounts
Each asks a different question of the same statements — is it improving, does it look like a company heading for distress, do the accounts resemble ones that were manipulated. None is a verdict; each shows what moves it.
Piotroski F-score
Is the business improving? Nine yes-or-no tests, this year against last.
5of 9 tests passed
✕ProfitableReturn on assets above zerofailed
✓Cash from operationsOperating cash flow above zeropassed
✕Profitability improvedReturn on assets higher than a year beforefailed
✓Profit backed by cashOperating cash flow above net income (low accruals)passed
✕Less long-term debtLong-term debt as a share of assets fellfailed
✓More liquidCurrent ratio higher than a year beforepassed
✓No new sharesShare count did not growpassed
✕Better gross marginGross margin higher than a year beforefailed
✓Sells more per assetAsset turnover higher than a year beforepassed
Where it misleads: it measures change, not level. An excellent business that stood still for a year scores low; a poor one recovering from a disaster scores high.
Altman Z''-score
Does the balance sheet look like those of companies that went bankrupt?
0.65distress zone
1.12.6
Working capital ÷ assets -0.02 × 6.56-0.12
Retained earnings ÷ assets 0.24 × 3.26+0.79
Operating income ÷ assets -0.09 × 6.72-0.63
Equity ÷ liabilities 0.58 × 1.05+0.61
Where it misleads: buybacks. A company that returns so much cash that its equity turns small or negative sinks the last two ratios without being anywhere near bankruptcy. Banks and insurers do not fit the model at all.
Beneish M-score
Do the accounts resemble those of companies that manipulated their earnings?
-3.50below the -1.78 line
-1.78
Receivables vs sales 0.88+0.81
Gross margin slipping 1.08+0.57
Soft assets 1.00 (not reported, set to 1)+0.40
Sales growth 0.97+0.87
Slower depreciation 1.00 (not reported, set to 1)+0.12
Overheads vs sales 0.96-0.17
Profit not in cash -0.19-0.90
Leverage rising 1.11-0.36
Where it misleads: fast growth and acquisitions. Sales growth carries a heavy weight, so a company growing 50% a year scores like a suspect without having done anything. It is a screen from a 1999 study, not an accusation.
Where the statements disagree
Cross-checks between the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow for the latest year, each with the benign reading and the worrying one.
The effective tax rate is -5.0%.
Benign
A favourable geographic mix, or legitimate tax credits.
Worrying
Not sustainable; projecting it forward inflates the valuation.
What is it worth, under which assumptions?
A company is worth the cash it will generate, brought back to today. This model projects revenue with growth that fades over the years, applies a free cash flow margin, and discounts the result at the cost of capital. Every assumption says where it came from, and all of them can be changed.
Value per share, with these assumptions$-7.55discounted at 7.6% a year · 61% of it from after year 10
Type a share price on the left to ask the reverse questions: what growth, what margin or what discount rate that price implies.
What the value implies, in the usual multiples
At this model's value
Price ÷ earnings
—
Enterprise value ÷ EBITDA
—
Enterprise value ÷ revenue
0.3×
Free cash flow yield
—
From cash flows to a value per share
10 years of cash flow, today1.3B
Everything after, today2.1B
The whole business3.4B
Minus net debt-7.0B
What belongs to shareholders-3.6B
Divided among 479.0M shares: <strong>$-7.55</strong> each.
The projection next to its history
Reported free cash flow after stock pay, then the model's. A projection that looks nothing like the past needs a reason.
ReportedProjected
00.5B1.0B1.5B2.0B
2017Reported 892.0M
2018Reported 664.7M
2019Reported 738.7M
2020Reported 1.4B
2021Reported 897.8M
2022Reported 686.8M
2023Reported 554.0M
2024Reported 1.6B
2025Reported 1.3B
2026Reported 924.0M
2027Projected 188.6M
2028Projected 189.2M
2029Projected 190.2M
2030Projected 191.8M
2031Projected 193.9M
2032Projected 196.6M
2033Projected 199.9M
2034Projected 203.8M
2035Projected 208.3M
2036Projected 213.5M
2017201920212023202520272029203120332035
Year by year
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
2036
Revenue
11.3B
11.3B
11.4B
11.5B
11.6B
11.8B
12.0B
12.2B
12.5B
12.8B
Growth
0.0%
0.3%
0.6%
0.8%
1.1%
1.4%
1.7%
1.9%
2.2%
2.5%
Cash margin
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
Free cash flow
188.6M
189.2M
190.2M
191.8M
193.9M
196.6M
199.9M
203.8M
208.3M
213.5M
Worth today
175.3M
163.4M
152.7M
143.1M
134.4M
126.7M
119.7M
113.4M
107.7M
102.6M
If the least-known inputs move
Value per share as two inputs change at a time. Neighbouring cells that differ a lot are the conclusion: the value depends on numbers nobody knows to a point.
The discount rate and growth forever
discount ↓ · forever →
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
3.5%
6.6%
-7
-7
-6
-5
-3
7.1%
-8
-7
-7
-6
-5
7.6%
-9
-8
-8
-7
-6
8.1%
-9
-9
-8
-8
-7
8.6%
-9
-9
-9
-8
-8
Year-one growth and the final margin
margin ↓ · growth →
-4.0%
-2.0%
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
1.3%
-10
-9
-9
-8
-8
1.5%
-9
-9
-8
-8
-7
1.7%
-9
-8
-8
-7
-6
1.8%
-8
-8
-7
-6
-6
2.0%
-8
-7
-6
-6
-5
All the inputs moving at once
4,998 valuations, each with growth, final margin, discount rate and growth forever drawn at random around the values on the left (spreads of 3.0%, 2.0%, 1.0% and 0.5%). Not a probability — the spreads are assumptions too — but an honest picture of how wide the answer is.
10th percentile$-16.24
Median$-7.56
90th percentile$2.86
$-20.00$0.00
Half of the simulations land between <b>$-12.02</b> and <b>$-2.60</b>; one in ten below $-16.24, one in ten above $2.86.
Does the long run make sense?
61%of the value comes from after year 10. The more of it, the more the answer depends on the part nobody can see.
Every Form 4 filed in the last twelve months, read line by line: 6 filings by 6 people. Open-market purchases and sales are counted apart from awards, option exercises and shares withheld for taxes.
Bought on the open market—none in the period
Sold on the open market—none in the period
Under pre-arranged plans—of the sales followed a 10b5-1 plan set months earlier
A Form 4 says what happened, when, how many shares and at what price. It does not say why: a sale can be diversification, a tax bill or a plan fixed months earlier, and an award is pay, not a purchase. Nothing here is a reason to buy or sell anything.
Which large funds report holding it
From the Form 13F of the 28 institutions followed on this site, as of the end of their last reported quarter. A 13F is filed up to 45 days later and shows only long positions in US-listed shares.
Accounts from the company's own SEC filings; lines some companies do not report are shown as a dash rather than estimated. The risk-free rate is the 10-year US Treasury yield. A DCF is a way of making assumptions explicit, not a forecast: it states what the company would be worth if the assumptions held. The scores are screens that point where to look, not verdicts. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell.