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Consumer Demand And Execution Trends Will Shape Future Market Opportunities

Published
27 Aug 24
Updated
22 Nov 25
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AnalystConsensusTarget's Fair Value
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1Y
-60.2%
7D
2.5%

Author's Valuation

US$39.0719.7% undervalued intrinsic discount

AnalystConsensusTarget Fair Value

Last Update 22 Nov 25

Fair value Decreased 22%

BRBR: Margin Recovery And Share Buyback Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have lowered their price target for BellRing Brands from approximately $50 to $39 per share, citing slower expected revenue growth, increased competition, and ongoing pressures on margins and customer visibility.

Analyst Commentary

Recent analyst reports on BellRing Brands reflect a mix of cautious optimism and growing concerns, following adjustments in price targets and guidance for the company.

Bullish Takeaways
  • Bullish analysts note that despite short-term earnings challenges, recent quarters showed solid performance with some improvement in outlook by year end.
  • Brand strength is highlighted, with Premier Protein’s brand equity considered undervalued at current share levels. This presents possible upside as market stability returns.
  • Long-term sales growth projections remain positive, with estimates suggesting a reacceleration of revenue growth within the company’s target range after the initial quarters of fiscal 2026.
  • Management clarity around competitive strategies and execution is seen as a positive factor supporting future growth and helping mitigate the risk posed by new competitors.
Bearish Takeaways
  • Bearish analysts point to increased margin pressures resulting from higher input costs, tariffs, and rising marketing expenditures. These factors could weigh on near-term profitability.
  • Visibility concerns persist regarding demand from the company’s largest customers, especially as competition in the protein shake and supplement categories intensifies.
  • Multiple firms have cut sales and EBITDA growth estimates for fiscal 2026, citing a slow start to the year and lower guidance compared to previous projections.
  • There is perceived downside risk to long-term growth targets as the cost to compete within the category rises and the overall industry landscape remains challenging.

What's in the News

  • BellRing Brands, Inc. announced a new share repurchase program that authorizes the buyback of up to $600 million in company stock. The program is set to expire in two years (Key Developments).
  • The Board of Directors approved a buyback plan on November 19, 2025 (Key Developments).
  • The company has repurchased 3,283,438 shares for $123.5 million from September 2, 2025 to November 17, 2025 under the buyback plan announced on September 2, 2025 (Key Developments).
  • BellRing Brands provided earnings guidance for fiscal year 2026 and projects net sales between $2.41 billion and $2.49 billion, indicating growth of 4% to 8% (Key Developments).

Valuation Changes

  • Consensus Analyst Price Target has fallen significantly from $50 to approximately $39 per share.
  • The discount rate has risen slightly, increasing from 8.02% to 8.08%.
  • Revenue growth projection has decreased meaningfully, moving from 8.7% to about 6.1%.
  • Net profit margin has improved modestly, rising from 11.36% to approximately 11.61%.
  • Future P/E has dropped considerably, shifting from 22.7x to 14.9x.

Key Takeaways

  • Category leadership and expanded retail presence drive sustained revenue growth and margin gains through greater scale and distribution.
  • Innovation, supply chain optimization, and targeted marketing strengthen brand equity, address evolving consumer trends, and support long-term earnings growth.
  • Margin pressure, heavy competition, brand concentration risk, and regulatory threats may limit profit growth and revenue stability despite increased marketing investments.

Catalysts

About BellRing Brands
    Provides various nutrition products in the United States.
What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
  • Accelerating household penetration and distribution gains in the ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shake category, which still has significant "runway" as only about half of U.S. households currently consume RTDs, with Premier Protein positioned as the category leader-expected to drive sustained topline growth.
  • Retailers are allocating more shelf space and expanding displays for high-protein, convenient nutrition products, creating a structural tailwind for category expansion and enabling incremental volume and market share gains, directly benefiting revenue growth and gross margin through improved scale.
  • Expansion into new product formats (single-serve, non-dairy almond milk shakes, indulgence lines) and increased innovation pipelines allow BellRing to address evolving consumer preferences and new consumption occasions, supporting both revenue growth and margin accretion as more premium, differentiated offerings gain traction.
  • Strategic investments in regional co-manufacturing networks and supply chain optimization have unlocked greater capacity and operational agility, positioning the company to capitalize on upcoming distribution opportunities and deliver enhanced cost efficiencies for improved net margins.
  • Ongoing investment in brand support, digital marketing, and omnichannel merchandising-especially modernizing packaging and targeting younger consumers-leverages long-term trends in health, wellness, and digital commerce to strengthen brand equity, accelerate household buy rates, and support higher-margin direct-to-consumer channels, driving long-term earnings growth.

BellRing Brands Earnings and Revenue Growth

BellRing Brands Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

How have these above catalysts been quantified?
  • Analysts are assuming BellRing Brands's revenue will grow by 8.1% annually over the next 3 years.
  • Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 10.3% today to 11.1% in 3 years time.
  • Analysts expect earnings to reach $312.5 million (and earnings per share of $2.64) by about September 2028, up from $228.3 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 24.9x on those 2028 earnings, up from 20.8x today. This future PE is greater than the current PE for the US Personal Products industry at 22.8x.
  • Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to decline by 2.18% per year for the next 3 years.
  • To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 8.16%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

BellRing Brands Future Earnings Per Share Growth

BellRing Brands Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

What could happen that would invalidate this narrative?
  • Rising input cost inflation and continued cost headwinds-especially from whey protein and tariffs on imported dairy-are driving down gross margins, with management indicating these will impact results through at least fiscal 2026, threatening sustained margin compression and net earnings growth.
  • Intensifying competition in the RTD protein shake category, as both large CPG incumbents and new entrants secure additional retail space (particularly in club channels), may require higher promotional spending and could drive increased price competition, pressuring both revenue growth and profitability.
  • Heavy reliance on Premier Protein as the core brand creates significant concentration risk if demand shifts, market share erodes due to evolving consumer preferences, or future innovation fails to resonate, which could materially impact top-line growth and earnings stability.
  • Increased promotional and marketing investments necessary to maintain shelf space and consumer engagement in a crowded, innovation-driven market may offset gains in operating leverage, constraining improvements in net margins and profit growth.
  • Ongoing regulatory threats-including the risk of higher tariffs on key ingredients from New Zealand/EU and the potential for future policy changes targeting nutrition labeling or sugar/protein content-could drive structural increases in costs of goods or restrict product formulations, impacting both gross margin and future revenue potential.

Valuation

How have all the factors above been brought together to estimate a fair value?
  • The analysts have a consensus price target of $52.5 for BellRing Brands 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 $72.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just $40.0.
  • In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $2.8 billion, earnings will come to $312.5 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 24.9x, assuming you use a discount rate of 8.2%.
  • Given the current share price of $37.71, the analyst price target of $52.5 is 28.2% 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.

How well do narratives help inform your perspective?

Disclaimer

AnalystConsensusTarget is a tool utilizing a Large Language Model (LLM) that ingests data on consensus price targets, forecasted revenue and earnings figures, as well as the transcripts of earnings calls to produce qualitative analysis. The narratives produced by AnalystConsensusTarget are general in nature and are based solely on analyst data and publicly-available material published by the respective companies. These scenarios are not indicative of the company's future performance and are exploratory in nature. Simply Wall St has no position in the company(s) mentioned. Simply Wall St may provide the securities issuer or related entities with website advertising services for a fee, on an arm's length basis. These relationships have no impact on the way we conduct our business, the content we host, or how our content is served to users. The price targets and estimates used are consensus data, and do not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and they do not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Note that AnalystConsensusTarget's analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

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