From Cereal to Software: Why Next Week’s Investor Days Matter

• Bank earnings jumpstart the Q3 reporting season, but our team eyes three under-the-radar Investor Days

• General Mills, Dollar Tree, and Salesforce events may shed light on the state of the lower-end consumer and corporate AI software trends

• Each stock has suffered lately, offering CEOs and CFOs the chance to turn things around as year-end nears

Earnings season begins in earnest on Tuesday next week when major Financials-sector companies post profit numbers. That might take the spotlight off a string of recent AI-related investments and corporate dealmaking (stress: might). With the official economic data spigot closed, happenings at the company-specific level are front and center. It’s clear that the tech boom is currently driving U.S. economic growth, but the consumer soon takes center stage as the holiday shopping season comes closer into view.

According to Adobe Analytics, online shopping volume is expected to rise by 5.3% year-on-year over the November-December stretch. That would be a deceleration from a stout 8.7% pace in 2024 but higher than the previous two years. We’ve mentioned the “have and have-not" economy before, and investors may get clues on the lower-end cohorts from two mainstay U.S. consumer firms in the days ahead. 

The silver lining, if you can call it that, is that the broader economy seems less dependent than ever on the lower-end consumer. So far this year, GDP growth has been fueled by affluent households and a wave of AI-driven capital investment. Here are three events to keep on your radar:

General Mills Investor Day

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) hosts its 2025 Investor Day the same day that JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) kicks off the Q3 reporting season, October 14. Shareholders and analysts (and really anybody) can tune into the webcast to hear the latest trends in the Packaged Foods and Meats industry. Based on price action in the past year, General Mills might soon be drop-ranked to lieutenant—the stock is down 30% over the past 12 months. Shifting consumer preferences and cash-strapped lower-income households are clear and ongoing risks.

The trend toward cheaper private-label brands has hurt, but GIS did beat on earnings when it reported fiscal Q1 numbers on September 17. The $27 billion market cap Consumer Staples company also maintained its $0.61 quarterly dividend (the yield is now among the highest in the S&P 500 at 4.9% on a forward basis).

Sentiment is low as we approach the Investor Day. When the event begins on Tuesday morning, investors should be on the lookout for details on General Mills’ five-year Accelerate strategy that was detailed at this past February’s Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) 2025 Conference.

It’s apparent that brand-building is a key theme, but results have yet to materialize, at least according to the market. On the Q1 call, analysts questioned whether ongoing volume declines stem from structural market issues or General Mills’ botched pricing efforts. We may get color on that front next week.

The Investor Day is particularly important as it’s possibly the last we’ll hear from GIS executives until its unconfirmed Q2 2026 earnings report on December 17.

Dollar Tree Investor Conference

Sticking with the consumer, Dollar Tree (NASDAQ:DLTR) welcomes the Street on Wednesday, October 15. There’s also a pending speaking engagement at the NASDAQ MarketSite from Mike Creedon, CEO, and Stewart Glendinning, CFO. So, the highly volatile stock (now down almost 20% from its August high) could be on the move next week.

Dollar Tree, or “Dollar-Twenty-Five Tree” if you frequent the stores, features a high 8.4% short interest. Last month, its management team outlined a 4% to 6% comp-store sales growth target as it expands its product selection. After a few years of tough inflation and rising labor costs, the Consumer Staples firm focuses on the expense side of the ledger, perhaps nearly as much as it does on growing revenue.

Stakeholders can expect to learn the fine points of a refreshed long-term growth strategy as well as a renewed financial outlook now that the Family Dollar divestiture is settled. Despite the earnings beat reported in early September, the bears have a grip on the price trend.

Lower-end consumers could be gravitating toward Walmart (WMT), the low-cost behemoth attracting a range of households across income levels. Market share trends will likely be a topic at next week’s events. Dollar Tree’s next earnings report is unconfirmed to be released on Wednesday, December 3.

Salesforce Gen AI Summit & Investor Day

Deals are being agreed to on a seemingly daily basis in the tech world right now. The AI arms race feels like it has been ratcheted up since Labor Day, but naturally, not every player has been a winner. Just this week, Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) dethroned Unitedhealth Group (NYSE:UNH) to claim a rather dubious honor: CRM is now the worst-performing stock on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. With shares down 29% so far in 2025, the Application Software industry company is among the most high-profile AI laggards.

CRM runs Agentforce (you may have heard about it from Matthew McConaughey), an autonomous corporate AI tool that learns, adapts, and streamlines workflows. Key to Salesforce’s success, the industry still questions the software. On Wednesday, October 15, CEO Marc Benioff, CFO Amy Weaver, and other executives will present on strategic priorities, AI innovations, and CRM’s long-term financial outlook.

The event, in conjunction with Dreamforce (the world’s largest enterprise tech conference), comes after a solid Salesforce double-beat on revenue and earnings. Despite a guidance raise on September 3, the share price fell 4.9%—a third straight post-earnings slump. As far as the stock is concerned, things are not alright, alright, alright.

Benioff and the team may be on their back foot ahead of what’s a busy corporate event calendar period. Its next earnings release is unconfirmed for Tuesday, December 2.

The Bottom Line

General Mills, Dollar Tree, and Salesforce host their respective Investor Days on October 14–15, as bank earnings come in fast and AI deal flow remains high. These events, along with incoming profit reports, could offer key tells on the health of the consumer and where large enterprises are allocating their capital. We are a bit of a wet blanket this week (calling out a trio of sputtering stocks), but now is a chance for GIS, DLTR, and CRM to right the ship.