It's not just Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) knocking on M'm, M'm wood this morning. Tomorrow, it will be Heinz (NYSE:HNZ) reporting on its fiscal second quarter, followed by Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) on Wednesday. Put it all together and you can celebrate Thursday's holiday with chicken noodle soup and ketchup-smothered Spam.
Not quite your idea of the ideal Thanksgiving dinner? That's not a problem. All three companies have wide product lines that can be reconfigured for a tastier spread. Need something a little stronger to wash it all down with? Brown-Forman (NYSE:BF.B) will weigh in with its financials -- along with a shot of Jack Daniels and a swig of Finlandia vodka -- on Tuesday.
Keep an eye on Heinz, though. The company has been able to jump-start its ketchup business lately based on simple things like spinning the color wheel and tweaking with the package. The company is also an unlikely beneficiary of healthier eating as the maker of SmartOnes, which seem to be scooped up quickly in early January before New Year resolutions are forgotten.
As far as stocks go, investors love the food makers. Due diligence is often as near as your kitchen cupboard and the bottom-line surprises are rare. While they usually command valuation premiums given their typically lethargic growth rates, they are also seen as all-weather companies. Good times. Bad times. We still need to eat.
And eat we will on the earnings front this week, even if the pickings are light.
Do you think there's green to be made in green ketchup? What about the rest of the Heinz product line, which includes everything from Classico pasta sauce to Ore-Ida fries? What will it take for Heinz to be seen as a growth stock? All this and more -- in the Heinz discussion board. Only on Fool.com.
