The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC) and the rest of the shelf-stable food stocks fared in Q4.

As America industrialized and moved away from an agricultural economy, people faced more demands on their time. Packaged foods emerged as a solution offering convenience to the evolving American family, whether it be canned goods or snacks. Today, Americans seek brands that are high in quality, reliable, and reasonably priced. Furthermore, there's a growing emphasis on health-conscious and sustainable food options. Packaged food stocks are considered resilient investments. People always need to eat, so these companies can enjoy consistent demand as long as they stay on top of changing consumer preferences. The industry spans from multinational corporations to smaller specialized firms and is subject to food safety and labeling regulations.

The 17 shelf-stable food stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.5%.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 12.9% since the latest earnings results.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC)

The result of a 2015 mega-merger between Kraft and Heinz, Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC) is a packaged foods giant whose products span coffee to cheese to packaged meat.

Kraft Heinz reported revenues of $6.35 billion, down 3.4% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a softer quarter for the company with full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly and a significant miss of analysts’ organic revenue estimates.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 7.9% since reporting and currently trades at $22.94.

Read our full report on Kraft Heinz here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Hershey (NYSE: HSY)

Best known for its milk chocolate bar and Hershey's Kisses, Hershey (NYSE: HSY) is an iconic company known for its chocolate products.

Hershey reported revenues of $3.09 billion, up 7% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3.8%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and full-year EPS guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 5.3% since reporting. It currently trades at $216.74.

Is now the time to buy Hershey? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: Campbell's (NASDAQ: CPB)

With its iconic canned soup as its cornerstone product, Campbell's (NASDAQ: CPB) is a packaged food company with an illustrious portfolio of brands.

Campbell's reported revenues of $2.56 billion, down 4.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1.6%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 12.4% since the results and currently trades at $21.63.

Read our full analysis of Campbell’s results here.

Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL)

Best known for its SPAM brand, Hormel (NYSE: HRL) is a packaged foods company with products that span meat, poultry, shelf-stable foods, and spreads.

Hormel Foods reported revenues of $3.03 billion, up 1.3% year on year. This print lagged analysts' expectations by 1.5%. Taking a step back, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged a decent beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is down 9.3% since reporting and currently trades at $22.95.

Read our full, actionable report on Hormel Foods here, it’s free.

Simply Good Foods (NASDAQ: SMPL)

Best known for its Atkins brand that was inspired by the popular diet of the same name, Simply Good Foods (NASDAQ: SMPL) is a packaged food company whose offerings help customers achieve their healthy eating or weight loss goals.

Simply Good Foods reported revenues of $340.2 million, flat year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. More broadly, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also recorded a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a miss of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

The stock is down 20.6% since reporting and currently trades at $15.39.

Read our full, actionable report on Simply Good Foods here, it’s free.

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