Beyond Meat Should Close

When Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) went public, there was a broad belief that people wanted meatless meat. It was healthier than meat. It was better for the environment. Beef cattle give off huge amounts of methane. McDonald’s even partnered with Beyond Meat to create a McPlant sandwich.

Beyond Meat went public on May 2, 2019. The shares were priced at $25. The stock rose 166% on the first day of trading. That broke a record which had lasted almost two decades.

In the last five years, Beyond Meat’s stock is down 97%. The S&P 500 is 97% higher. Beyond Meat is one of those companies that should close. Its business model is a failure

Beyond Meat encountered several hurdles. Unlike hamburger meat, it was not found in every grocery store and supermarket in America. In other words, many people who wanted it had to go out of their way.

Beyond Meat was expensive. As CNBC reported in 2021, “Big meat manufacturers have been producing animal meat products for years at a large scale and keeping prices low. Plant-based companies don’t have the same economies of scale.” Beyond Meat tried to control its expenses when demand faltered. In 2022, its COO and CFO left. The company cut 20% of its staff.

The lack of demand has shown up in Beyond Meat’s numbers. The company continues to shrink. Revenue in the most recent quarter dropped 9% from the same period ago to a tiny $69 million. Beyond Meat posted a net loss of $53 million, compared to a loss of $54 million.

Beyond Meat’s balance sheet is a mess. It has $1,142,459 in convertible senior notes, net, at the end of the period. The company’s future seems to be based on how much it can reduce expenses and not whether people want its products.

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