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4 Stocks to Buy as Online Grocery Sales Surge Amid Inflationary Woes
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Key Takeaways
Online grocery sales rose 19% in Q1 2026 after a 20% increase in Q4 2025.
Faster pickup, delivery and fulfillment upgrades are helping drive grocery sales growth.
TSN, CHEF, DAR and MAMA are highlighted as grocery-related stocks with upside potential.
Inflation has been rising over the past three months, as higher commodity prices are making consumers spend cautiously. Consumers have been cutting down on discretionary purchases. However, spending on groceries, which are considered a necessity, has seen a surge.
Online grocery sales rose at an impressive pace in the first quarter amid inflationary pressure. Grocery sales are poised to grow at a steady pace, as this is an area that will attract spending.
Given this situation, it would be ideal to invest in grocery stocks with a strong online arm, such as Tyson Foods (TSN - Free Report) , The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (CHEF - Free Report) , Darling Ingredients Inc. (DAR - Free Report) and Mama's Creations, Inc. (MAMA - Free Report) .
Online Grocery Sales Continue to Grow
Online grocery sales jumped 19% in the first quarter of 2026 after increasing 20% in the final quarter of 2025, according to Brick Meets Click. Widespread improvement, including faster pick-up and delivery, is helping boost online grocery sales.
Upgrades at fulfillment centers, and ultra-fast deliveries are helping retailers meet consumers’ demand better. While online grocery pickup continues to witness robust growth, delivery and ship-to-home services are also improving at a faster pace. Delivery and ship-to-home services have grown nearly six times higher than pickup, according to the report.
Higher prices have been a challenge for buyers as oil prices surged after the Iran war broke out. Although energy costs have eased over the past couple of weeks, after the United States and Iran reached a peace deal, the impact of the war remains.
However, that hasn’t stopped consumers from spending on grocery items. The Bricks Meet Click report also showed that grocery spending share has climbed every quarter. Over the last six quarters, total grocery share spending rose more than 19%, reaching its highest level by the end of the first quarter of 2025. Excluding ship-to-home orders, overall grocery spending jumped an impressive 16% during the same period.
4 Grocery Stocks With Upside
Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods is the biggest U.S. chicken company that produces, distributes and markets chicken, beef, pork, and prepared foods. TSN’s products are marketed and sold primarily by sales staff to grocery retailers, grocery wholesalers, meat distributors, military commissaries, industrial food processing companies, chain restaurants, international export companies and domestic distributors.
Tyson Foods’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 5.3% over the past 60 days. Tyson Foods has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Chefs' Warehouse
The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. is a distributor of specialty food products in the United States. CHEF is focused on serving the specific needs of chefs who own and operate restaurants, fine dining establishments, country clubs, hotels, caterers, culinary schools and specialty food stores.
CHEF’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 2.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 8.7% over the past 60 days. CHEF has a Zacks Rank #1.
Darling Ingredients
Darling Ingredients Inc. is a provider of rendering, cooking oil and bakery waste recycling and recovery solutions. DAR collects and transforms all aspects of animal by-product streams into broadly used and specialty ingredients, such as gelatin, edible fats, feed-grade fats, animal proteins and meals, plasma, pet food ingredients, organic fertilizers, yellow grease, fuel feedstock, green energy, natural casings and hides.
Darling Ingredients’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 25.4% over the past 60 days. DAR has a Zacks Rank #1.
Mama's Creations
Mama's Creations, Inc. manufactures and distributes fresh deli-prepared foods sold through more than 12,000 grocery, mass, club, and convenience stores across the United States. MAMA has expanded into a broader refrigerated prepared-food platform offering all-natural meatballs, meat loaf, sausage, chicken entrées, salads, olives, paninis, sandwiches, and ready-to-heat meals.
Mama's Creations’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 73.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 4% over the past 60 days. MAMA has a Zacks Rank #1.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
4 Stocks to Buy as Online Grocery Sales Surge Amid Inflationary Woes
Key Takeaways
Inflation has been rising over the past three months, as higher commodity prices are making consumers spend cautiously. Consumers have been cutting down on discretionary purchases. However, spending on groceries, which are considered a necessity, has seen a surge.
Online grocery sales rose at an impressive pace in the first quarter amid inflationary pressure. Grocery sales are poised to grow at a steady pace, as this is an area that will attract spending.
Given this situation, it would be ideal to invest in grocery stocks with a strong online arm, such as Tyson Foods (TSN - Free Report) , The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (CHEF - Free Report) , Darling Ingredients Inc. (DAR - Free Report) and Mama's Creations, Inc. (MAMA - Free Report) .
Online Grocery Sales Continue to Grow
Online grocery sales jumped 19% in the first quarter of 2026 after increasing 20% in the final quarter of 2025, according to Brick Meets Click. Widespread improvement, including faster pick-up and delivery, is helping boost online grocery sales.
Upgrades at fulfillment centers, and ultra-fast deliveries are helping retailers meet consumers’ demand better. While online grocery pickup continues to witness robust growth, delivery and ship-to-home services are also improving at a faster pace. Delivery and ship-to-home services have grown nearly six times higher than pickup, according to the report.
Higher prices have been a challenge for buyers as oil prices surged after the Iran war broke out. Although energy costs have eased over the past couple of weeks, after the United States and Iran reached a peace deal, the impact of the war remains.
However, that hasn’t stopped consumers from spending on grocery items. The Bricks Meet Click report also showed that grocery spending share has climbed every quarter. Over the last six quarters, total grocery share spending rose more than 19%, reaching its highest level by the end of the first quarter of 2025. Excluding ship-to-home orders, overall grocery spending jumped an impressive 16% during the same period.
4 Grocery Stocks With Upside
Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods is the biggest U.S. chicken company that produces, distributes and markets chicken, beef, pork, and prepared foods. TSN’s products are marketed and sold primarily by sales staff to grocery retailers, grocery wholesalers, meat distributors, military commissaries, industrial food processing companies, chain restaurants, international export companies and domestic distributors.
Tyson Foods’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 5.3% over the past 60 days. Tyson Foods has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Chefs' Warehouse
The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. is a distributor of specialty food products in the United States. CHEF is focused on serving the specific needs of chefs who own and operate restaurants, fine dining establishments, country clubs, hotels, caterers, culinary schools and specialty food stores.
CHEF’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 2.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 8.7% over the past 60 days. CHEF has a Zacks Rank #1.
Darling Ingredients
Darling Ingredients Inc. is a provider of rendering, cooking oil and bakery waste recycling and recovery solutions. DAR collects and transforms all aspects of animal by-product streams into broadly used and specialty ingredients, such as gelatin, edible fats, feed-grade fats, animal proteins and meals, plasma, pet food ingredients, organic fertilizers, yellow grease, fuel feedstock, green energy, natural casings and hides.
Darling Ingredients’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 25.4% over the past 60 days. DAR has a Zacks Rank #1.
Mama's Creations
Mama's Creations, Inc. manufactures and distributes fresh deli-prepared foods sold through more than 12,000 grocery, mass, club, and convenience stores across the United States. MAMA has expanded into a broader refrigerated prepared-food platform offering all-natural meatballs, meat loaf, sausage, chicken entrées, salads, olives, paninis, sandwiches, and ready-to-heat meals.
Mama's Creations’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 73.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 4% over the past 60 days. MAMA has a Zacks Rank #1.