Rising Global Protein Demand Will Deliver Long-Term Stability

Key Takeaways

• Growth fueled by demand for branded proteins, value-added foods, and international expansion, with a focus on innovation and operational discipline.
  
• Operational efficiencies and brand investment support higher margins, earnings stability, and durable long-term market share.
  
• Persistent beef supply issues, rising input costs, flat volume growth, asset write-down risks, and external industry threats challenge profitability and future growth.

Catalysts

Operates as a food company worldwide.

• The company is capitalizing on strong, resilient consumer demand for protein across beef, pork, and chicken, with volume and dollar share gains in top brands such as Tyson, Hillshire Farm, and Jimmy Dean; this leverages growing global consumption of animal protein, and is expected to support sustained revenue growth and earnings expansion.
  
• Momentum in prepared and value-added foods, driven by a robust innovation pipeline and product launches targeting convenience and protein-oriented lifestyles, is shifting the product mix toward higher-margin categories and is expected to improve net margins and top-line growth.
  
• Continuous operational efficiencies, supply chain optimization, and manufacturing improvements are delivering tangible cost savings, higher fill rates, and reduced waste, which should support net margin expansion and greater earnings stability.
  
• As protein demand grows in emerging international markets and the company continues to expand its operational discipline overseas, there is further potential for stable international earnings contribution and top-line growth.
  
• With ongoing brand investment, the company is positioned to benefit from rising consumer focus on food safety, brand reliability, and established supply chains, which favor long-term market share gains and translate into a durable revenue base and enhanced profitability.

Tyson Foods Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

• Analysts are assuming Tyson Foods's revenue will grow by 2.1% annually over the next 3 years.
• Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 1.4% today to 3.9% in 3 years time.
• Analysts expect earnings to reach $2.3 billion (and earnings per share of $6.53) by about August 2028, up from $784.0 million today.
• In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 12.1x on those 2028 earnings, down from 25.6x today. This future PE is lower than the current PE for the US Food industry at 20.6x.
• Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to remain consistent over the next 3 years.
• To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 6.78%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Tyson Foods Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

• Persistent and potentially worsening cattle supply constraints in the Beef segment, with herd rebuilding not expected to show meaningful benefits until at least 2028, will likely keep Beef operating income negative for several years; this could materially weigh on Tyson's total earnings.
  
• Significant and ongoing raw material input cost inflation, especially in Prepared Foods, is impacting margins, and while some recovery has been achieved through price increases and efficiencies, there is risk to further margin pressure if cost increases persist or escalate faster than pricing actions can offset.
  
• The company's relatively flat total sales volume, despite strong branded retail performance, suggests limited underlying consumption growth; this raises concerns about Tyson's ability to deliver sustained top-line growth in a market increasingly trending towards alternative proteins and shifting consumer preferences.
  
• Valuation impairments and increased carrying value for the Beef segment signal that certain assets may be overleveraged or face structural profitability challenges, indicating a risk of further write-downs that could negatively impact future net income and investor confidence.
  
• Industry and regulatory risks-including threats from animal diseases (e.g., New World screwworm), tariffs, and evolving policies around sustainability and feed sources-present ongoing uncertainties that could disrupt supply chains, drive up costs, or restrict market access, all of which could adversely affect revenue stability and margin performance.

Valuation

• The analysts have a consensus price target of $63.25 for Tyson Foods based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of $80.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just $55.0.
  
• In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $57.7 billion, earnings will come to $2.3 billion, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 12.1x, assuming you use a discount rate of 6.8%.
  
• Given the current share price of $56.34, the analyst price target of $63.25 is 10.9% higher.
  
• We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.