10 Best Cookies and Crackers Stocks to Buy

5. General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 30

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) is an American food manufacturer that has made food with passion for more than 150 years. The firm’s portfolio comprises more than 100 brands around the world including the iconic Cheerios, Pillsbury, and Häagen-Dazs. These include cookie-related brands such as Pillsbury offering biscuits and Betty Crocker offering cookie mixes. General Mills has a presence in 100 countries across six continents.

General Mills’ Accelerate strategy, which the firm outlined at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) 2021 Conference, remains the core of its business. This strategy focuses on four pillars to create competitive advantages including boldly building its brands, relentlessly innovating, unleashing its scale, and being a force for good. Most recently, General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) advanced its Accelerate strategy with the acquisition of Whitebridge Pet Brands’ North American premium Cat feeding and Pet treating business. This move marked the fifth acquisition General Mills has announced or completed in the Pet category and complements the company’s position in the fast-growing U.S. pet food category.

The firm closed a good first half of fiscal 2025 as it accelerated its volume growth and market share trends, including returning its North American pet business to growth. For the second quarter of fiscal 2025, net sales increased 2% to $5.2 billion and operating profit was up 33%. Certain favorable timing items amplified Q2 growth and are expected to reverse in the second half of fiscal 2025, such as a rise in retailer inventory in North America Retail due in part to the Thanksgiving holiday from the final week of Q2 last year to the first week of Q3 this year, and favorable trade and other expense timing.