An Egg Glut Is Crushing Cal-Maine Stock -- WSJ

By Patrick Thomas

Egg companies are losing money a year after an egg shortage left grocery store shelves barren and prompted restaurants to add surcharges on their menus.

Cal-Maine, America's biggest egg producer, swung to its second consecutive quarterly loss as a result of a rapid drop in prices. It posted a $58.6 million loss for its quarter ended Aug. 29, compared with a profit of $199.3 million in the same period last year.

The number of egg-laying hens in the U.S. was up more than 5% in September compared to last year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Wholesale egg prices fell nearly 60% in September, according to government data.

Cal-Main stock fell nearly 8% in premarket trading.

The situation is a reversal from the worst bird flu outbreak in U.S. history, which killed millions of egg-laying hens.

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September 30, 2026 09:17 ET (13:17 GMT)