Skip to contentHome page Seeking Alpha - Power to InvestorsMar 25, 2026, 8:45 AM ETCal-Maine Foods, Inc. (CALM) StockShri Upadhyaya2.22K FollowersComment(1)SummaryCal-Maine Foods remains a core defensive holding, benefiting from disciplined owner management and a debt-free, cash-rich balance sheet.CALM's recent $128.5M acquisition of Creighton Brothers and Crystal Lake expands production capacity, geographic reach, and value-added prepared foods exposure.Specialty eggs and prepared foods now comprise 46% of net sales, with prepared foods sales surging 586.4% year-over-year, supporting earnings resilience.Despite near-term earnings headwinds and a 20% stock decline, CALM's 3.2x PE, robust capital returns, and ongoing strategic shift justify a reiterated Strong Buy rating.BrianAJackson/iStock via Getty ImagesCal-Maine Foods overviewCal-Maine Foods (CALM) is one of my favourite stocks in my portfolio, and this is my second time covering the company here.The reasons I provided last time around were straightforward.CALM stockThis article was written byShri Upadhyaya2.22K FollowersShri Upadhyaya is a deeply independent investor with over 15 years of hands-on experience across stocks and options. A self-taught investor with real skin in the game, Shri backs most of his Buy and Sell calls with his own capital because writing is clearer when money is on the line.He got his start experimenting on the algorithmic platform Quantopian, where he quickly learned that most traditional trading strategies sound good on paper but rarely work over time. That experience shaped his core belief: true investing edge is personal. It comes from deep research, independent thinking, and a healthy amount of skepticism. Through his work on Seeking Alpha, Shri sharpens his thinking while engaging with a community of serious investors. His coverage typically includes: 1. Under-the-radar small caps with asymmetric upside 2. Low-beta stocks with the potential to outperform or grow meaningfully 3. Clear-eyed avoidance of poor risk-reward setups, no matter how popular the name.He also pairs his long ideas with targeted shorts; not just as a hedge, but as part of his edge. Dogmatic hedging is expensive. But when the market misprices risk? That’s an opportunity (In other words, this is value investing on the short side). Best case, the shorts pay off big in a downturn. Worst case, a few work well enough to offset the cost and protect the long book when it matters most. Over time, this approach has helped him smooth volatility and steadily improve his long-term CAGR. Follow Shri, for his ideas and his distinctive approach to investing.Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of CALM either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Comment(1)To ensure this doesn’t happen in the future, please enable Javascript and cookies in your browser.Is this happening to you frequently? Please report it on our feedback forum.If you have an ad-blocker enabled you may be blocked from proceeding. Please disable your ad-blocker and refresh.