Farmer Bros. Co. (NASDAQ: FARM) shares rocketed 88% within the first hour of the opening bell on June 7, 2023. This national distributor of coffee and tea intends to sell its direct shipping facility in Northlake for $100 million to TreeHouse Foods (NYQ: THS) and transfer its production operations to Portland, Oregon. The sale includes the 180 employees currently employed at the Northlake plant.

According to $FARM’s CEO Deverl Maserang, this move allows the company to concentrate primarily on its direct store delivery (DSD) business, which is the most profitable and offers the highest growth potential. Maserang stated that the company aims to ensure its direct ship customers are well-served by a national leader while focusing on DSD. After the deal is finalized, Farmer Brothers will relocate its remaining DSD business to its Portland roasting and production plant while maintaining its corporate headquarters in Texas by leasing space in Northlake.
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2017 Farmer Brothers first made headlines when it acquired Boyd’s Coffee for nearly $60 million. And just recently, in 2021, Farmer Brothers announced opening a West Coast distribution center. Maserang’s focus is profitability. For a company bringing in an incredible ~496M in revenue annually, you’d think that’s a given. Yet they still reported a ~15M net loss on their June 30th, 2022 earnings, and TTM is ~28M net loss.
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Farmer Brothers’ direct store delivery business serves coffee, tea, spices, breakfast, and brunch products to 45,000 locations nationwide through a network of 80 independent branches, five distribution centers, and almost 240 routes. Its customer base includes restaurants, food service operators, convenience stores, hotels, casinos, healthcare facilities, and grocery chains.
Founded in 1912, Farmer Brothers is known for its primary brands, such as Farmer Brothers, Artisan Collection by Farmer Brothers, Superior, Metropolitan, China Mist, and Boyd’s. Its sales for fiscal year 2022 reached $469.2 million.
Following the sale of the Northlake facility, the company estimates that its annual revenue will decrease to approximately $350 million. However, as mentioned, their focus is improving profit margins. Chief Financial Officer Scott Drake stated that shifting towards a DSD-focused organization would enhance internal efficiency, reduce operational costs, and increase margins. The company plans to use the proceeds from the sale to pay off debt and streamline its operations.
TreeHouse Foods, headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, is a prominent manufacturer of private-label food and beverages in North America. The company operates 26 production facilities in the United States and Canada, including existing locations in Dallas and Carrollton. It was established in 2005 as a spin-off of Dallas-based Dean Foods Co. In 2016, TreeHouse Foods acquired the private brands business from Conagra Brands, marking its most significant acquisition and nearly doubling its size. In 2022, the company reported sales of $3.45 billion.
Analyst Buy Rating Suggests Strong Potential for Growth
As of June 7, 2023, Farmer Bros Co (FARM) had a median target price of $6.00, according to an analyst providing a 12-month price forecast. This indicates a significant increase of 81% compared to the last price of $3.30. The high and low estimates for the stock were also $6.00, reflecting a consensus among analysts regarding FARM’s strong growth potential. An investment analyst polled on the matter has maintained a consistent buy rating for Farmer Bros Co since August. This rating suggests that the company is expected to perform well, and investors are advised to consider purchasing shares. Regarding FARM’s current quarter earnings, the company reported a loss per share of $0.60 and sales of $121.2M. As always, it is essential for investors to carefully evaluate their financial circumstances and risk tolerance before making any investment decisions.
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