Shares of Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) popped today after Bernstein double-upgraded the plant-based meat maker, from Underperform to Outperform. BYND stock rose more than 10% on the news.
This upgrade is not isolated. Last week, the analyst team over at CFRA also upgraded BYND stock to “Outperform.”
The common theme in the two upgrades?
Beyond Meat is a great reopening trade, because consumers are going to go back to restaurants a lot in 2021/22, and as they do, they’ll be greeted with a ton of new plant-based meat options, many of which will be Beyond Meat products. Because of this, Beyond Meat’s sales should surge over the next 12 months, leading to a big rebound in BYND stock.
I couldn’t agree more. Beyond Meat stock is due for a huge 2021/22 breakout because of a big rebound in the company’s foodservice business.
I actually think the stock is going to run all the way back to $200 — and maybe even higher.
Here’s why.
All About the Foodservice Business
When it comes to BYND stock, it’s all about the foodservice business, because that has been the “wild card” over the past year.
We all know Beyond Meat’s retail business is on fire. Folks are simultaneously doing a lot of grocery shopping these days, and leaning more into plant-forward diets. Plus, Beyond Meat is rapidly expanding its product portfolio and retail store distribution, the combination of which is leading to huge sales growth in Beyond Meat’s retail business. This will persist for the foreseeable future. The trends here are secular in nature.
But the foodservice business has been much more volatile.
That is, Beyond’s foodservice business was on fire in 2019, as the company was rapidly expanding its presence at restaurants and fast-food chains. But, in 2020, that foodservice business collapsed as folks stopped going out to eat during the pandemic.
Now, the million-dollar question is: What happens to the foodservice business in 2021?
If it rebounds, BYND stock will rebound in a big way. If it doesn’t, BYND stock will remain depressed.
I think the answer here is pretty clear, and therefore, it’s also pretty clear that Beyond Meat stock will soar over the next 12 months.
A Huge Rebound in Store
Beyond Meat’s foodservice business is going to rebound with vigor in 2021.
Beyond Meat spent the pandemic expanding its product portfolio and signing a bunch of new distribution partnerships with restaurants and fast-food chains. The company’s plant-based burgers and sausages are on basically every menu in the world these days (OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, but Beyond Meat has meaningfully expanded its foodservice distribution over the past 12 months).
At the same time, consumers are going back outside and eating out at restaurants a lot these days. Over the past three months, consumer spending on food services and drinking places has increased 29% year-over-year and 14% over the prior three-month-period.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect these dots. As consumers go back out to restaurants, they’re going to be greeted with a bunch of new plant-based meat offerings, and that’s going to lead to a huge rebound in Beyond Meat’s foodservice business.
This rebound will supercharge the company’s sales growth in 2021, leading to a series of double-beat quarters that will reinvigorate the bull thesis. As all that happens, BYND stock will roar higher.
Bottom Line on BYND Stock
The tech sector meltdown has created multiple golden buying opportunities. And BYND stock is one such opportunity that ranks among my top “Plant Power” stocks to buy, but it’s far from my only pick.
The world is returning to its “roots.” Long story short, we are discovering the wonderful and multi-faceted benefits of plants, and starting to use plants to do everything from make food to treat illness. Beyond Meat is a leader in this megatrend, and will emerge as a critical solution to combat climate change, improve human health, and ultimately create a brighter tomorrow.
My top hypergrowth stocks in this megatrend include the companies shaping this brighter future with breakthrough plant-based products in the foods, medicine, and leisure segments.
Get the complete list of our potential 10X stocks to buy in the Plant Power megatrend by subscribing to Innovation Investor today.
On the date of publication, Luke Lango did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this video.
By uncovering early investments in hypergrowth industries, Luke Lango puts you on the ground-floor of world-changing megatrends. It’s the focus of his premiere technology-focused service, Innovation Investor. To see Luke’s entire lineup of innovative next-generation mobility stocks, become a subscriber of Innovation Investor today.
