We recently published a list of 12 Best Food Stocks to Buy Under $30. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE) stands against other best food stocks to buy under $30.

Consumer Defensive Sector: Trends and Outlook

On April 25, Shana Sissel, Founder & CEO of Banrion Capital Mgmt, appeared on CNBC to talk about the struggles in the consumer staple sector and investor caution due to tariffs and “Trump exhaustion.” She said the consumer defensive stocks are going on a downward trend, which makes sense to her, especially if you look at how the market’s momentum flows. The concern about a recession and potential economic downturn might be too aggressive. She opined that she wouldn’t take it as much of a point right now because even if we are going to see any economic slowdown from tariffs, one thing is certain: consumers do not tend to cut back on staples. The sector includes the types of companies and consumer goods that people cannot and will not live without.

However, even in this sector, there are some unusual economic indicators that may reflect signs of an economic recession. This includes the snack indicator, where people tend to cut back on snacks in tough times instead of staple food items and other more essential nutrition types. While this is something to keep in mind about the sector, Sissel said that how the consumer staples are performing reflects the momentum swing we have seen in the market. The outlook is, of course, concerning, as it is necessary to look at how people are thinking about the market conditions and the effects of tariff impacts.

JP Morgan also recently gave a market outlook amid tariffs, saying that the market is very bearish, especially in the macro community. It further said that:

“Most are disregarding the latest trade developments, partly due to ‘Trump exhaustion.’ We observe that many prefer to stay in cash and maintain lower leverage in their books.”

Talking about this outlook, Sissel said that one of the triggers that one must look out for a potential change in sentiment is the fact that there is a contrarian sentiment, where we have seen a lot of investors buying the dip. A whole generation of investors has learned to buy the dip because, most of the time, the market recovers quickly.

She also said that the Trump exhaustion appears to be very real, as continuous policy changes have created uncertainty in the market, especially regarding tariffs. While it looks like things are calming down, investors are going to be cautious about jumping in too quickly because of the continuous policy changes. She thus opined that we might see cash staying on the sideline a little bit longer, which meant that we have not seen enough change to indicate that any market gains we are seeing right now are sustainable.

Story Continues

READ ALSO: Top 11 Small Cap Stocks to Buy with Biggest Upside Potential and 10 Best Stocks That Will Always Grow.

Is The Food Sector a Stable Place to Invest?

We discussed whether consumer staples are a stable area to invest in now, along with what the food sector is looking like right now, in a recently published article on Recession Resistant Investing: 10 Best Grocery Stocks To Buy Now. Here is an excerpt from the article:

On April 24, Bryan Spillane, BofA Securities senior consumer analyst, appeared on CNBC’s ‘The Exchange’ to talk about food stocks and how higher costs are weighing on consumers. He said that the biggest incremental headline right now is that costs are a bigger risk than anticipated going into the recent earnings season. Although there is a lot of focus on revenue risk, costs have taken the lead, and tariff risks are also affecting companies across the consumer staples industry.

Our Methodology

We sifted through stock screeners, financial media reports, and ETFs to compile a list of 40 food stocks under $30 and chose the top 12 with the highest number of hedge fund holders as of Q4 2024. We sourced the hedge fund data from Insider Monkey’s database. The list is presented in ascending order of hedge fund sentiment.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 363.5% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 208 percentage points (see more details here).

A large group of farm workers harvesting fresh fruit in the morning sun.

Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE)

Stock Price: $14.97

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 22

Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE) distributes and markets fresh vegetables and fruits. The company operates through the Fresh Fruit, Diversified Fresh Produce –EMEA, Diversified Fresh Produce – Americas and ROW, and Fresh Vegetables segments. It ranks tenth on our list of the best food stocks to invest in under $30.

On May 1, the company announced the successful $1.2 billion refinancing of its credit facilities. This occurred through an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement introducing new senior secured facilities, including term loans totaling $600 million and a $600 million revolving credit facility. These facilities aim to support Dole plc’s (NYSE:DOLE) working capital and general corporate purposes, as well as refinance existing debt. The refinancing is anticipated to bolster the company’s financial flexibility and strengthen its market position by securing long-term financing with favorable terms.

Analysts are also bullish on the stock because of its strong 2024 performance. The company continued its solid growth trend over the last number of years and exceeded its most recent adjusted EBITDA guidance by around $12 million. Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE) grew organically in 2024, while its Group revenue and adjusted EBITDA rose on a like-for-like basis, supported by growth across its core business areas and categories. It expects to continue this growth in 2025, reflecting confidence in its operations.

Overall, DOLE ranks 10th on our list of the best food stocks to buy under $30. While we acknowledge the potential for DOLE as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than DOLE but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

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