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General Mills, Inc. (GIS)

Consumer Defensive Dividend payerS&P 500

A global household name in the kitchen cupboard, General Mills competes with food giants to fill supermarket shelves with breakfast cereals and snacks.

$35.96

Is General Mills, Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: High dividend yield compared to the wider market. Worth weighing: Negative net margin indicates recent unprofitability.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price-47.3%
= past earnings-report date
Priced in USD. As a UK investor your £ return also moves with the pound-to-dollar exchange rate, even inside an ISA - a stronger pound can trim your £ gains and a weaker pound can add to them, whatever the share price itself does.
52-week range-27% past year
$35.96
Low $31.75High $51.33
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.

Is this normal for this company?

Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.

Price to earnings
10.1now
10.613.1

Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.

Net profit margin
-43.6%now
-43.6%26.7%

Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.

How these ranges are built

Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.

What does General Mills, Inc. do?

Famous for brands tucked away in family pantries worldwide, this consumer staple makes its money by selling packaged foods to grocery stores and supermarkets. It operates in a fiercely competitive landscape against other massive food conglomerates. The crucial detail to keep an eye on is how they manage declining profits while trying to keep dividend payouts steady for shareholders.

On our factor screen it looks strongest on income and value, and weakest on quality.

Quick checks
What's strong
What to watch
  • Quality screens low
  • Growth screens low
  • Momentum screens low

Does General Mills, Inc. pay a dividend?

Yes - General Mills, Inc. currently pays a dividend of about 6.6% a year, which is £66 a year for every £1,000 invested (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it. An ISA doesn't shelter the US tax on this one →

What do the numbers say about General Mills, Inc.'s dividend?

There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.

Dividend yield6.6%£66 a year for every £1,000 invested. The yearly dividend as a percentage of today's price. A very high figure often means the price has fallen because the market expects a cut, so a big yield is a question to look into, not a prize.
Payout ratio59%about 59 in every 100 pounds of profit. The share of profit paid out as dividends. A lower figure leaves headroom; near or above 100% means most or all of the profit is going out as dividends.
Dividend cover1.7×Profit divided by the dividend (the payout ratio the other way up). As a rough convention many income investors like around 2× or more; below 1× means the company paid out more than it earned that year.

Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.

Most recent ex-dividend date: 10 Jul 2026. To receive a dividend you must already own the shares before the ex-dividend date; become a holder on or after it and the previous owner keeps that payment. Why the price usually falls that morning →

What do General Mills, Inc.'s numbers mean?

Forward P/E
11.81
This compares the share price to expected future profits, showing you roughly how many pounds you are paying for each pound of anticipated earnings.
Around the middle of the 59 Consumer Defensive shares we cover
Gross margin
33.7%
This reveals that out of every pound made from selling food, about 33p is left over after paying for the raw ingredients and direct production costs.
Around the middle of the 59 Consumer Defensive shares we cover
Dividend yield
6.6%
This shows the annual cash reward paid out to investors relative to the share price, which looks notably high following a drop in the stock.
Higher than most of the 59 Consumer Defensive shares we cover
12-month price move
-22.6%
This tracks how much the share price has fallen over the past year, reflecting tougher times and shrinking earnings.

How has it performed?

Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
If you had put $1,000 into General Mills, Inc.
$527-47%

Over about 2 years to 2026-09-10. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

How much has General Mills, Inc. actually fallen?

−57%

Over the last 2 years of daily prices, General Mills, Inc. fell as much as −57% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.

Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.

How has it done year by year?

2022+28%
2023-20%
2024+1%
2025-24%
2026 so far-14%

Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.

A closer look at the numbers

Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
$20.24B
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
10.35M
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
$35.75 – $37.45
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
$31.75 – $51.33
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
6.6%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
-0.05

Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?

One share costs$35.96
Number of shares563 million
So the whole company is worth$20.24bn
A £5 share is not cheaper than a £500 one - it means the company cut itself into more slices. Whether the total looks high or low is what the figures below are for; we don't give a verdict.

Who owns General Mills, Inc.?

Big institutions 92%Public & smaller investors 8%

About 92% of General Mills, Inc., or about 92 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds. The rest, roughly 8%, is held by the public and smaller investors.

What this does and doesn't tell you

This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.

Why has it been moving?▼ -5% past week · ▼ -27% past year

Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.

How much money does General Mills, Inc. make?

Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.

RevenueNet income
$0$1.22B$2.43B$3.65B$4.86BQ2 25Q3 25Q4 25Q1 26Q2 26
Gross margin
33.7%
Net margin
-0.5%
Return on equity
-1.0%

When does General Mills, Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?

General Mills, Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-09-23 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.

‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.

General Mills, Inc.: reported versus expected earnings per share, recent quarters
ReportedExpected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number.Actual EPSvs expected
2026-07-01$0.80$0.95Beat +19%
2026-03-18$0.73$0.64Missed -12%
2025-12-17$1.03$1.10Beat +7%
2025-09-17$0.82$0.86Beat +5%
2025-06-25$0.71$0.74Beat +4%
2025-03-19$0.96$1.00Beat +4%

Across the last 6 quarters here, General Mills, Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.

See who else reports over the next two weeks →

Where these figures come from

Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.

What are the scenarios for General Mills, Inc.?

An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.

◀ lowerhigher ▶todayBull▲ UpsideBase• In-lineBear▼ Downside
Bull
+5% to +12%Earnings stabilize and cost pressures ease.
Base
-3% to +3%Steady grocery sales with no major surprises.
Bear
-10% to -18%Profits drop further and the dividend comes under pressure.

What are the pros, cons and common questions?

The case each way, and the questions people ask
The bull case

Global demand for branded snacks accelerates nicely.

The bear case

Store-brand alternatives permanently steal market share.

What are the pros and cons of General Mills, Inc.?

3bull points
6bear points

A balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case3
  • High dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone. compared to the wider market
  • Familiar household brand names with lasting appeal
  • Defensive: A business whose demand holds up whatever the economy does - food, utilities, medicines. Steadier, though often slower-growing. sector nature that tends to hold up during economic wobbles
The catch3
  • Negative net margin: How much of each £1 of sales becomes profit after all costs. Higher = more profitable per sale. indicates recent unprofitability
  • Falling earnings year-on-year
  • Modest revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago. points to a sluggish top line
Key risks3
  • Shoppers switching to cheaper supermarket own-brand alternatives
  • Rising costs for ingredients and manufacturing
  • Potential pressure on the dividend if profits do not recover
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

  • A sustained return to positive earnings growth
  • A sudden cut to the dividend payout

Common questions about General Mills, Inc.

Does General Mills, Inc. pay a dividend?

Yes - General Mills, Inc. currently pays a dividend of about 6.6% a year. Dividends are a share of profit paid to holders; the yield moves with the price and payouts can be cut.

When does General Mills, Inc. report earnings next?

General Mills, Inc. is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-09-23. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.

More in Consumer Defensive

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Confidence: medium · data: USD · flags: pe, ps · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
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Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →

This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.

Prices as of 10 Sep 2026; other figures as of 11 Aug 2026. Our latest price update for this one did not come through, so it is older than the prices on other pages. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.