Canada Packers reports Q4 results as an independent after spin off from Maple Leaf

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This article was published 04/03/2026 (186 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canada Packers Inc. chief executive Dennis Organ said the pork producer is focused on building durability, as it reported its first full quarter since it was spun off from Maple Leaf Foods Inc. last year.

Organ told a conference call Wednesday to discuss the company’s latest results that it is “still squarely in chapter one,” focused on building financial stability. However, he said the company remains open to taking on opportunities — such as mergers and acquisitions.

When Canada Packers moves to its next stage, Organ said the investments will be the kind that “are easy to explain to investors why it makes sense.”

He said it will focus on cost synergies that are easy to execute, giving an example of pig ears sold to small shops that smoke and sell them as pet treats.

Organ’s comments came as Canada Packers reported a fourth-quarter profit of $23.2 million as its sales edged higher compared with a year earlier.

The company says the profit amounted to 78 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Dec. 27, compared with a profit of $50.6 million or $1.70 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Sales totalled $429.4 million, up from $424.0 million a year earlier.

RBC analyst Irene Nattel said in a note that Canada Packers “delivered solid results for its first full quarter as an independent, publicly traded company, with financial results in line to a pigtail above forecast.”

She said the results reflect generally favourable, albeit normalizing, commodity markets.

Maple Leaf Foods spun off its pork operations as Canada Packers, a new stand-alone publicly traded company, last year.

The company said the increase was driven by increased volumes, higher average hog weights and favourable market pricing.

On an adjusted basis, Canada Packers says it earned 63 cents per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 79 cents per share a year earlier.

The company also expanded its ribs and pork loins in Western Canadian stores.

“Our branded product, they’re working their way through the system as we speak now, in boxes and bags with Canada Packers on it,” Organ said.

“Our brands are out there … in a time where Canadian nationalism kind of means something,” he said. But it is not expected to add to the company’s margins, he added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2026.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CPKR, TSX:MFI)