Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) reported first-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations, as solid performance in its prepared foods business and continued market share gains in chicken offset ongoing weakness in beef.
The food processor posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.97, topping the analyst consensus of $0.93. Revenue rose 5.1% year over year to $14.31 billion, exceeding expectations of $14.0 billion.
Prepared foods, which includes brands such as Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm, delivered strong results with sales increasing 7.9% year over year to $2.67 billion. Operating income for the segment totaled $322 million. Chicken volumes increased 3.7%, though segment revenue rose only modestly to $4.21 billion due to flat pricing.
Tyson’s beef segment continued to face challenges, reporting an adjusted operating loss of $143 million, though this marked an improvement from prior quarters. The pork segment generated adjusted operating income of $111 million, up from $73 million in the year-ago period.
For fiscal 2026, Tyson maintained its outlook for total adjusted operating income of $2.1 billion to $2.3 billion and reiterated expectations for revenue growth of 2% to 4% versus fiscal 2025.
The company generated $942 million in operating cash flow during the quarter and reduced total debt by $468 million. Free cash flow reached $690 million, slightly below $760 million reported in the same quarter last year.
