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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Pilgrim's Pride, Molson Coors, Tyson Foods and Grocery Outlet.

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – March 14, 2024 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (PPC - Free Report) , Molson Coors Beverage Company (TAP - Free Report) , Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN - Free Report) and Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:

4 Inflation-Proof Consumer Staples Stocks Worth Buying Now

The Federal Reserve has jacked up the cost of borrowing to slow down economic growth and curb inflationary pressure. No doubt, such monetary tightening measures have slowed inflation from a 40-year high, but price pressure continues to run hot for the Fed’s comfort.

The consumer price index (CPI) increased 0.4% month over month in February and 3.2% from a year ago, per the Labor Department. Even though the monthly gain was in line with estimates, the annual gain was slightly above expectations of an increase of 3.1%.

Core CPI, which eliminates the volatile energy and food costs, increased 0.4% on a month-on-month basis and 3.8% from a year ago. Both the readings were slightly higher than forecast.

The headline inflation number primarily increased due to an uptick in the prices of energy and shelter. Energy costs increased 2.3%, while shelter costs rose 0.4%. Home prices, in reality, are expected to continue to rise this year. Separately, airline fares, apparel costs and the cost of used vehicles were up 3.6%, 0.6% and 0.5%, respectively.

Elevated inflation, regrettably, decreases the purchasing power of dollars. This tends to impact consumer spending, which derails economic growth and stirs up volatility in the stock market.

However, investors shouldn’t get rattled. Instead, it’s prudent for astute investors to place bets on stocks unfazed by inflationary pressure and their hostile impact on the stock market.

These stocks belong to the consumer staples sector. In case of price pressure, consumers may cut back spending on discretionary items but must buy staple products. Moreover, these staple products are cyclical, or in other words, their demand is constant irrespective of market disturbance.

We have thus highlighted four fundamentally sound consumer staple stocks, namely Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Tyson Foods, Inc. and Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. which flaunt a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Pilgrim's Pride is focusing on strengthening its Prepared Foods category. PPC currently has a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has increased 14.9% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 68.6%.

Molson Coors is a global manufacturer and seller of beer and other beverage products. TAP currently has a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has increased 4.6% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 4.3%.

Tyson Foods produces, distributes and markets chicken, beef and pork, including prepared foods. TSN currently has a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has increased 23.2% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 74.6%.

Grocery Outlet is a high-growth, extreme-value retailer of quality, name-brand consumables and fresh products. GO currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has increased 1.7% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 9.4%.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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