General Mills (NYSE:GIS) Shares Down 8.1% – Time to Sell?

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)’s share price was down 8.1% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $44.52 and last traded at $44.4030. Approximately 9,119,408 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 11% from the average daily volume of 8,220,015 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.34.

Trending Headlines about General Mills

Here are the key news stories impacting General Mills this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company reiterated progress on its long‑term “Accelerate” strategy at the CAGNY conference — initiatives to boost brand remarkability and margin recovery could support medium‑term growth. General Mills Outlines Progress on Accelerate Strategy at CAGNY Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at CAGNY (full transcript available) — helpful for investors wanting detail on assumptions behind the guidance change but not market‑moving on its own. General Mills, Inc. (GIS) Presents at Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus broker coverage remains mixed (average “Hold”) — analysts are watching execution against the strategy and the recovery in consumer demand. General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Management cut FY‑2026 organic net‑sales guidance to down 1.5%–2% (from prior -1% to +1%) and reduced EPS guidance to $3.37–$3.54 vs. Street estimates (~$3.66), explicitly citing weaker consumer sentiment and more promotional activity — the primary catalyst for the share decline. General Mills cuts annual sales and profit forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Business press and market commentary emphasize the outlook hit and stock reaction; headlines note sizable downward revisions and investor sell pressure. Cheerios Parent General Mills Slashes Sales Outlook. Its Stock Is Plunging.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought ~20,576 put contracts (≈+226% vs. typical put volume), signaling elevated bearish bets/hedging that can magnify downside. (Options volume data reported in market updates.)
• Negative Sentiment: Company flagged elevated restructuring costs (~$165M) and noted volatility that will reduce expected net‑sales growth — an additional near‑term margin pressure risk. General Mills Issues Soft Outlook, Restructuring Costs Soar To $165 Million

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on GIS. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of General Mills in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $54.00 target price on shares of General Mills and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of General Mills from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group set a $46.00 price objective on shares of General Mills in a research note on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on General Mills from $56.00 to $52.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.28.

General Mills Trading Down 7.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.77. The stock has a market cap of $23.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.66 and a beta of -0.06.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 17th. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.07. General Mills had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 13.51%.The business had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. General Mills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.580-3.790 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Mills Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio is 52.47%.

Insider Transactions at General Mills

In other news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.15, for a total value of $72,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 48,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,338,549.20. This represents a 3.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Mills in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its holdings in General Mills by 139.8% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the period. Close Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of General Mills during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Davis Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of General Mills during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its holdings in shares of General Mills by 248.1% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the period. 75.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Mills Company Profile

General Mills, Inc (NYSE: GIS) is a multinational consumer foods company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded food products. Its product categories include ready-to-eat and hot cereals, baking mixes and ingredients, snacks and bars, refrigerated and frozen doughs, yogurt and other dairy products, and a variety of shelf-stable meals and meal components. The company’s portfolio features widely recognized consumer brands across grocery store, mass channel and foodservice outlets.

Founded in the early 20th century and incorporated under its current name in 1928, General Mills has grown through both internal brand development and strategic expansion to become a global food company.