Cal-Maine Foods Swings to Q4 Loss as Egg Prices Collapse; Full-Year Net Income Falls 74%
CALM sits 17% above its 52-week low of $71.92.
Summary
Cal-Maine Foods reported a Q4 loss of $35.9 million as egg prices crashed, dragging full-year net income down 74% to $316.7 million. The company suspended its variable dividend and detailed a new segment structure alongside multiple acquisitions.
Key Events · Earnings and Guidance · CALM
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Q4 Loss and Full-Year Earnings Collapse
Q4 net loss of $35.9 million ($0.76/share) vs. profit of $342.4 million a year ago; full-year net income fell 74% to $316.7 million as egg prices normalized from HPAI-driven highs.
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Dividend Suspended
Variable dividend policy suspended after Q4 loss; company must recover $35.9 million in cumulative losses before resuming payouts.
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New Segment Reporting
Company now reports three segments: Conventional Shell Eggs, Specialty Shell Eggs, and Prepared Foods, reflecting its diversification strategy.
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Acquisition-Driven Growth
Completed acquisitions of Echo Lake Foods ($289.5M), Creighton Brothers ($129.3M), Clean Egg ($23.7M), and Van's Foods ($24.8M) to expand prepared foods and shell egg capacity.
Analysis · CALM · Industrial Applications And Services
Cal-Maine Foods reported a steep Q4 loss of $0.76 per share, down from a $7.01 profit a year ago, as net sales halved to $552 million amid collapsing egg prices. For the full fiscal year, net income dropped 74% to $316.7 million on revenue of $2.9 billion. The company suspended its variable dividend after the Q4 loss and must recover $35.9 million in cumulative losses before resuming payouts. Against this backdrop, the company disclosed a new three-segment reporting structure and detailed multiple acquisitions that expanded its prepared foods business. The balance sheet remains strong with $924 million in cash and investments, but the earnings collapse and dividend suspension are significant negative signals for a company whose stock has been a pandemic-era outperformer.
At the time of this filing, CALM was trading at $83.99 on NASDAQ in the Industrial Applications And Services sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $4.1B. The 52-week trading range was $71.92 to $126.40. This filing was assessed with negative market sentiment and an importance score of 8 out of 10.