General Mills stock edges higher as UBS sticks to Sell rating ahead of Q1 results
Published on 09/16/2026 at 21:17 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
General Mills stock (ISIN US3703391032) is trading around USD 36.58 on the NYSE as of September 16, 2026, modestly above recent levels but still well below many analyst targets. As Investing.com reported on September 16, 2026, UBS has reiterated a Sell rating on the shares with a USD 33.00 price target, citing growth concerns despite a solid dividend yield.
UBS calls growth recovery unlikely
According to Investing.com on September 16, 2026, UBS reiterated its Sell rating on General Mills with a USD 33.00 price target, leaving roughly 9.8 percent downside versus the USD 36.58 trading level highlighted in the same note. The bank pointed to ongoing growth headwinds, arguing that a sustained return to sales expansion looks difficult as consumer demand remains soft in key categories and prior price increases fade.
A translated summary from Zonebourse on September 16, 2026, notes that UBS views a return to growth as ‘unlikely’ in the near term and highlights that General Mills shares closed at USD 36.58 with an average Street price target around USD 37.67. That implies the consensus target is only about 3 percent above the latest close, underlining the subdued expectations baked into the stock.
Mixed analyst targets ahead of September 23 earnings
Analyst opinions diverge significantly as General Mills heads into its fiscal Q1 earnings report scheduled for September 23, 2026. As Scanx reported on September 16, 2026, Wall Street expects Q1 EPS of USD 0.72, down from USD 0.86 a year earlier, a decline of about 16.3 percent, and revenue around USD 4.33 billion to USD 4.35 billion compared with USD 4.52 billion in the prior-year quarter. That implies roughly a 3.8 to 4.2 percent drop in sales year over year, reflecting pressure on categories like cereal and yogurt.
At the same time, several brokers have adjusted their price targets in recent weeks. Benzinga reported on September 16, 2026, that Evercore ISI cut its target from USD 39 to USD 38 while maintaining an In-Line rating on September 14, 2026, BofA Securities raised its target from USD 39 to USD 43 with a Neutral stance on September 1, 2026, and JP Morgan boosted its target from USD 31 to USD 35 with an Underweight rating on July 2, 2026. These moves leave the range of targets between USD 31 and USD 43, illustrating the split between cautious and more constructive views.
Consensus data compiled by MarketBeat on September 16, 2026, indicate that General Mills now carries an average rating of Reduce, with four Buy ratings, twelve Hold ratings and six Sell ratings, and an average price target around USD 38.95. Against the latest USD 36.58 level, that consensus implies potential upside of roughly 6.5 percent, but the Reduce label signals that many analysts expect the stock to underperform broader benchmarks.
Guidance and fundamental backdrop
On the fundamentals side, management has recently reaffirmed its outlook. As Scanx noted on September 16, 2026, General Mills on September 8, 2026 affirmed its fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS guidance range of USD 3.00 to USD 3.20 per share. At the midpoint of USD 3.10, that would represent only modest growth versus the prior year, and UBS has argued that even achieving this range may be challenging given the demand and cost backdrop.
A preview from TradingView on September 16, 2026 points out that for Q1 of the current fiscal year, revenue is estimated at USD 4.35 billion with EPS at USD 0.72, compared to reported revenue of USD 4.52 billion in Q1 of the prior year and USD 4.61 billion in Q4 of that year. In other words, forecast Q1 revenue would be about USD 170 million below the year-ago quarter and roughly USD 260 million below the most recent quarter, underlining expectations for a softer start to the year.
These estimates follow a period of relatively subdued top-line performance. The TradingView data show that General Mills posted quarterly revenues of USD 4.52 billion, USD 4.86 billion, USD 4.44 billion and USD 4.61 billion in its last four completed quarters, reflecting small year-over-year changes rather than strong expansion. For investors, the key question going into the September 23 release is whether volumes stabilize enough to offset pricing normalization and cost inflation.
Risk factors: soft demand and cost pressures
Commentary summarized by Finimize on September 16, 2026, notes that UBS expects General Mills’ upcoming fiscal Q1 numbers to track roughly in line with guidance but still sees a difficult path back to sustained sales growth. The analysis emphasizes that shoppers have been trading down or cutting back in some packaged food categories and that inflation remains near the high end of the company’s expected range, squeezing household budgets and limiting pricing flexibility.
According to the same Finimize summary, management has talked about ‘underlying progress’ in the business, with consumption data looking somewhat better in pockets such as snacks and pet food, but UBS remains cautious overall. For investors, that means the combination of softer demand, persistent input cost volatility and intense competition from private-label offerings could cap margin expansion even if headline revenues meet expectations.
Upcoming earnings date and what to watch
General Mills is slated to release its fiscal Q1 earnings on September 23, 2026, before the market opens. TradingView states that the announcement is expected at 7:00 a.m. ET, with analysts focused on whether the company can beat the USD 0.72 EPS and roughly USD 4.35 billion revenue consensus figures. A separate preview from Zacks on September 16, 2026 notes that General Mills has beaten consensus EPS estimates in three of its last four quarters and currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2, indicating expectations that it may again outperform analyst profit forecasts.
Zacks also highlights an Earnings ESP of 1.32 percent for General Mills as of mid-September, meaning the most accurate estimate for EPS stands slightly above the broader consensus. If the company manages even a small beat on revenue and earnings while reaffirming its fiscal 2027 guidance range of USD 3.00 to USD 3.20, that could give the shares some support despite UBS’s bearish stance. Conversely, any miss versus the already reduced expectations or a downgrade to guidance would likely reinforce the argument that a return to growth is still some way off.
Stock trades below bullish targets but above bearish calls
Against this backdrop, the current stock price sits roughly in the middle of the analyst range. Scanx noted that shares closed at USD 36.58 on September 8, 2026 after the guidance affirmation, a level which is about 13.4 percent below BofA Securities’ raised target of USD 43 but around 11 percent above UBS’s USD 33 target. Data cited by MarketBeat show the average target at USD 38.95, implying moderate upside from the latest close but not a strong conviction that the stock will re-rate sharply higher.
Short-term trading commentary from platforms such as Pluang indicates that General Mills has recently traded around USD 36.70 to USD 37.03 with a market capitalization near USD 19.6 billion as of mid-September 2026. In one snapshot, Pluang notes the shares were up roughly 2.37 percent on the day at USD 36.70, close to a consensus price target of USD 36.67, underlining how tightly the current price already reflects many expectations. While exact 52-week high and low figures are not specified in these previews, UBS has pointed out that the stock is down around 17.5 percent year to date, even as it continues to offer a dividend yield of about 6.7 percent.
Price level and investor takeaways
General Mills stock last closed at USD 36.58 on the NYSE on September 15, 2026, per recent analyst notes, and has been trading near that level on September 16, 2026, with only modest day-to-day moves. At roughly USD 36 to USD 37 per share, the stock stands below the consensus target of about USD 38.95 and well below the most optimistic recent target of USD 43 from BofA Securities, but above the more cautious floor of USD 31 to USD 33 signaled by JP Morgan and UBS. For investors, the upcoming September 23 earnings release, the trajectory of volumes in key categories and any shift in guidance are likely to be the next decisive catalysts for General Mills stock.
General Mills stock facts
- Company: General Mills, Inc.
- ISIN: US3703391032
- Ticker: GIS
- Trading venue: NYSE
- Price (as of September 15, 2026): 36.58 USD
- Market capitalization: 19.56 billion USD (as of September 16, 2026)
- Sector / Industry: Consumer Staples / Packaged Foods
- Index membership: S&P 500
- Next earnings date: September 23, 2026
