General Mills

Overview

General Mills is one of the world's largest food companies, with a brand portfolio that reaches into roughly 90% of American households. The company was created on June 20, 1928, when Washburn-Crosby president James Ford Bell merged his company with three other flour mills, but its roots trace back to the Minneapolis Milling Company, incorporated in 1856 along the Mississippi River's Saint Anthony Falls. The company has paid a dividend every year since its founding — one of only a handful of companies to maintain an uninterrupted dividend for nearly a century.

Today, General Mills produces and markets over 100 consumer brands across breakfast cereals, snacks, baking products, frozen foods, ice cream, and pet food. Its nine billion-dollar brands include Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Totino's, and Annie's. The 2001 acquisition of Pillsbury and the 2018 purchase of Blue Buffalo for $8 billion were transformative, moving the company into convenient meals and the fast-growing premium pet food segment.

In fiscal year 2025 (ending May 2025), General Mills generated $19.5 billion in net sales and employed approximately 33,000 people globally. The company has faced headwinds from consumers seeking value amid inflation, leading to a 2% decline in organic net sales. Chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening has guided the company since 2017, steering it through significant portfolio changes including the divestiture of its Canadian yogurt business in January 2025.

Stock Listings

General Mills first listed on the NYSE on November 30, 1928, at $65 per share. The company is a component of the S&P 500 index.

Major Shareholders

General Mills is widely held by institutional investors, who collectively own approximately 71% of outstanding shares. No single shareholder holds a majority stake.

Shareholder	Ownership	Type	Country
Vanguard Group	12.6%	Asset Manager	USA
BlackRock	10.0%	Asset Manager	USA
State Street Corporation	6.2%	Asset Manager	USA
Charles Schwab Investment Mgmt	3.7%	Asset Manager	USA
Geode Capital Management	2.8%	Asset Manager	USA
Nordea Investment Management	1.9%	Asset Manager	Finland
Eaton Vance Management	1.8%	Asset Manager	USA
Invesco Advisers	1.6%	Asset Manager	USA
Norges Bank Investment Mgmt	1.5%	Sovereign Wealth Fund	Norway

Source: MarketScreener, based on latest SEC filings (13F). Ownership percentages may fluctuate. Retail investors hold approximately 29% of shares.

Brands & Products

Breakfast Cereals

C

Cheerios

America's #1 cereal

L

Lucky Charms

Marshmallow cereal

C

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Cinnamon cereal

W

Wheaties

Breakfast of Champions

C

Chex

Cereal & Snack Mix

C

Cocoa Puffs

Chocolate cereal

T

Trix

Fruit-flavored cereal

F

Fiber One

High-fiber cereal & snacks

Snacks & Bars

N

Nature Valley

Granola bars & snacks

L

Larabar

Fruit & nut bars

A

Annie's

Organic snacks & mac & cheese

B

Bugles

Corn snacks

G

Gardetto's

Snack mix

F

Fruit Snacks

Gushers, Roll-Ups, Fruit by the Foot

Baking & Cooking

B

Betty Crocker

Baking mixes & frostings

P

Pillsbury

Dough, biscuits & rolls

G

Gold Medal

Flour (since 1880)

B

Bisquick

Pancake & baking mix

Meals & Frozen Foods

O

Old El Paso

Mexican food kits & salsas

T

Totino's

Frozen pizza & rolls

P

Progresso

Soups

H

Hamburger Helper

Meal kits

W

Wanchai Ferry

Asian frozen meals

Ice Cream

H

Häagen-Dazs

Premium ice cream (global)

Pet Food

B

Blue Buffalo

Premium pet food ($8B acquisition)

Organic & Natural

C

Cascadian Farm

Organic cereals & frozen

M

Muir Glen

Organic tomatoes & sauces

Ownership Structure

General Mills is a widely held public company with no controlling shareholder. The top three institutional investors — Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street — collectively hold about 29% of shares. The company was spun off from Darden Restaurants in 1995 and acquired Pillsbury from Diageo in 2001.

Frequently Asked Questions