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Market Overview: Investor Jenny Harrington suggests that certain dividend stocks can provide stability during market volatility, especially following recent declines due to tariff announcements. She emphasizes the importance of steady income to mitigate emotional selling during downturns.

Top Stock Picks: Harrington identifies several dividend-paying stocks with strong U.S. revenue sources, including ConAgra, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Bristol Myers Squibb, Kinder Morgan, and Verizon, highlighting their potential for growth and resilience against tariffs.

Analyst Rating Changes: Several Wall Street analysts have adjusted their price targets for various companies, including Citigroup lowering Illumina's target to $85 and Guggenheim cutting First Solar's target to $253 while maintaining a Buy rating.

Stock Performance Insights: Analysts also made notable upgrades, such as Citigroup raising Dollar Tree's target from $76 to $103, indicating potential investor interest despite mixed performance across different stocks.

Fastest News Alerts: Benzinga Pro offers real-time intelligence and alerts for traders to stay updated on stock market movements.

Exclusive Community: Joining Benzinga Pro connects users with over 10,000 serious traders and provides access to exclusive stories from Benzinga reporters.

Market Reaction to Tariffs: President Trump's newly announced tariffs have caused significant market selloffs, creating uncertainty among investors.

Investment Strategy Shift: Analyst Barry Bannister from Stifel suggests that investors should focus on "defensive value" stocks rather than "cyclical growth" stocks in light of the tariff impacts.

Market Resilience: Companies like Lamb Weston, Verizon, AbbVie, and TJX showed resilience during a significant market selloff, as investors sought stocks in tariff-resistant sectors such as food and pharmaceuticals.

Impact of Tariffs: The Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a sharp decline of about 1,300 points, highlighting the market's reaction to anticipated tariffs and leading investors towards discount retailers.

Earnings Report Overview: Conagra Brands Inc reported a 6.3% decline in third-quarter sales to $2.84 billion, missing analyst expectations, with adjusted EPS of $0.51 also falling short of the $0.53 consensus. The company experienced a significant gross profit drop of 17.3% and an operating margin contraction.

Future Outlook: Despite current challenges, Conagra reaffirmed its outlook for FY25, expecting a 2% decline in organic net sales and adjusted EPS of approximately $2.35, aligning with market expectations.

Earnings Report: Conagra Brands Inc. reported a fiscal third-quarter net income of $145.1 million, significantly down from $308.6 million in the same quarter last year, with adjusted earnings of 51 cents per share missing analysts' expectations of 52 cents.

Market Reaction: Following the earnings miss, Conagra's shares fell by 2% in premarket trading, marking the second consecutive quarter where adjusted profits did not meet Wall Street estimates.

Earnings Decline: Conagra Brands reported a profit of $145.1 million for its fiscal third quarter, significantly down from $308.6 million in the same period last year.

Sales Volume Drop: The company experienced lower sales and volume declines across all its segments during the quarter ending February 23.

Financial Performance Overview: Conagra Brands, Inc. reported a 6.3% decline in net sales and a 53.1% drop in diluted earnings per share for Q3 FY25, with challenges stemming from supply chain constraints and increased costs impacting profitability across various segments.

Future Guidance and Strategic Focus: The company maintains its fiscal 2025 guidance, projecting a 2% decline in organic net sales and an adjusted operating margin of approximately 14.4%, while emphasizing efforts to restore inventory and enhance customer service amidst ongoing market challenges.

Earnings Reports Today: Major companies such as Acuity Brands, Conagra Brands, and Guess? are set to report earnings today, with expected stock movements indicated by options prices.

Options Trading Insights: Investors can view the implied moves for each company based on options activity, which may provide insights into potential stock performance following the earnings announcements.

Stock Market Reaction: U.S. stock futures dropped significantly after President Trump's announcement of new trade tariffs, with major indices down over 2-4% in premarket trading, while gold prices reached a record high as investors sought safe-haven assets.

Economic Concerns: Analysts expressed worries about the potential negative impact of the tariffs on global economic growth, with predictions of increased recession risks and a shift in investor focus towards dividend-paying value stocks amid widespread equity weakness.

Management Insights: Conagra Brands reported a Q3 2025 performance that met expectations despite supply chain challenges, with significant share improvements in their portfolio and a focus on strategic brand investments rather than heavy promotions. However, organic net sales declined by 5.2% year-over-year due to volume decreases and supply constraints.

Outlook and Concerns: The company reaffirmed its fiscal 2025 guidance while acknowledging ongoing inflationary pressures, particularly in protein costs. Management remains optimistic about recovery and growth through capacity expansions and targeted pricing strategies, despite analysts expressing caution regarding sustained cost pressures and competitive dynamics in the frozen food market.

Market Reactions to Tariffs: U.S. stock index futures fell sharply following President Trump's announcement of reciprocal tariffs, impacting various companies' stock performances in pre-market trading.

Company Performance Highlights: Conagra Brands faced a decline due to supply issues and inflation, while Lamb Weston reported strong earnings and maintained its guidance; Lyft's shares plummeted after a downgrade from Bank of America due to concerns over autonomous vehicle competition.

Conagra Brands' Q3 Performance: Conagra Brands reported a 6.3% decline in sales to $2.84 billion and a 26% drop in profits to $0.51 per share, falling short of Wall Street expectations due to supply disruptions and inflationary pressures.

Future Outlook: For FY25, Conagra anticipates a slight sales decrease of approximately 2%, projecting revenues around $11.80 billion, with adjusted earnings guidance aligning with market expectations at $2.35 per share.

Market Sentiment and Stock Performance: The CNN Money Fear and Greed index indicated a slight improvement in market sentiment, though it remained in the "Extreme Fear" zone. U.S. stocks rose, with the Dow Jones gaining over 200 points, despite concerns over new tariffs announced by President Trump that could lead to a global trade war.

Economic Data and Sector Performance: Private businesses added 155,000 jobs in March, surpassing expectations, while new orders for manufactured goods increased by 0.6%. Most sectors of the S&P 500 saw gains, particularly consumer discretionary, industrials, and financials, although some consumer staples and discretionary stocks declined.

Earnings Reports: Acuity Inc. is expected to report earnings of $3.70 per share, while RH reported disappointing fourth-quarter results with revenue below expectations, causing a significant drop in its stock price.

Market Reactions: Conagra Brands and Exxon Mobil are also set to release earnings soon, with their stocks experiencing slight declines in after-hours trading, while Penguin Solutions saw a positive response with a 4.6% increase after better-than-expected results.

Earnings Performance: Conagra Brands reported a Q3 Non-GAAP EPS of $0.51, missing expectations by $0.02, with revenue declining 6.3% year-over-year to $2.84 billion, falling short by $60 million.

Future Guidance: The company maintains its fiscal 2025 guidance with an expected organic net sales decrease of approximately 2%, an adjusted operating margin of around 14.4%, and an adjusted EPS target of $2.35, aligning with consensus estimates.

Earnings Report: Conagra Brands, Inc. is set to release its third-quarter earnings on April 3, with analysts predicting a decline in earnings per share from 69 cents to 53 cents and a decrease in quarterly revenue from $3.03 billion to $2.9 billion.

Analyst Ratings: Recent analyst ratings for Conagra show mixed sentiments, with several firms lowering their price targets, while the stock closed at $26.38 after a 0.8% drop.

Market Reaction to Tariffs: Stocks experienced significant declines in after-hours trading following President Trump's tariff announcement, with major indices like the Dow Jones and Nasdaq-100 futures down by 2.4% and 4.4%, respectively. Big tech companies also saw substantial drops, with Amazon and Apple down 6% and 7% after hours.

Investment Insights: Jim Cramer advised focusing on mid-size and small companies less affected by trade wars, highlighting stable American companies with low debt and high U.S. revenue exposure. Notable stocks mentioned include CME Group and General Dynamics, which have shown positive performance despite broader market challenges.

Earnings Expectations: Conagra Brands' shares fell as investors await Q3 earnings on April 3, with analysts predicting a decline in earnings per share to $0.52 from $0.69 last year, although the company may beat estimates based on past performance.

Market Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has assigned a Hold rating with a $27 price target for Conagra, citing slow industry sales growth and rising costs, while options traders anticipate a 4.7% price movement post-earnings.