General Mills Inc (GIS)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 19.9% in the second quarter, acquiring an additional 41,587 shares and bringing its total holdings to 251,038 shares valued at $8.7 million. Other institutional investors also adjusted their positions in GIS, which is 75.71% institutionally owned. Analysts currently hold a "Reduce" consensus rating for General Mills, with an average price target of $39.16, despite the company beating its recent earnings estimates and offering a 5.9% annualized dividend yield.

Corient Private Wealth LP significantly increased its stake in General Mills, Inc. by 176.4% in the second quarter, acquiring an additional 185,903 shares to reach a total of 291,270 shares valued at approximately $10.1 million. General Mills reported strong quarterly EPS of $0.95, surpassing analyst expectations, and maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share. Despite positive earnings and dividend, analyst sentiment remains cautious with a consensus "Reduce" rating and an average price target below the stock's opening price.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into PepsiCo and Kraft Heinz's "better-for-you" brands, specifically concerning products labeled as containing avocado oil. This probe follows a UC Davis study that revealed a high percentage of avocado oil-labeled products were adulterated with cheaper oils. The investigation aims to determine if state law was violated by misleading consumers through fraudulent labeling.

General Mills has announced that all of its U.S. cereal offerings, including Lucky Charms and Trix, are now made without "certified colors" (synthetic color additives). The company aims to remove these additives from its entire U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027, despite a previous attempt to remove artificial colors from Trix that was later partially reversed due to consumer demand for the "classic" vibrant colors.

General Mills announced it has eliminated artificial coloring from its U.S. cereal line and plans to remove these dyes from its entire U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027. This move aligns with growing consumer demand for natural ingredients and follows similar actions by other food companies and regulatory pushes to phase out petroleum-based food dyes due to potential health concerns.