Kellanova

Kellanova was Kellogg’s snacks-led offspring; it now lives inside Mars’s private empire. - Former NYSE-listed snack and international cereal company, now a wholly owned Mars subsidiary.

The company behind M&M's and Snickers just swallowed Pringles, Cheez-It and Pop-Tarts. Mars closed its $35.9 billion all‑cash acquisition of Kellanova in December 2025, taking the Kellogg snack spin‑off private and rolling its brands into an enlarged Mars Snacking empire. Early 2026 signals suggest the combined company is moving quickly: industry analysts predict aggressive innovation in flavor mashups—think Pringles-branded candy bars or Cheez-It M&M's—alongside dual-branded marketing campaigns already planned for key 2026 occasions.

Updated Jan 30

Kellanova, home to Pringles and Cheez‑It, is leaving the S&P 500 via a Mars buyout. - S&P 500 constituent being acquired by Mars, exiting public benchmarks

Before the market opened on December 11, Ares Management — a private-credit powerhouse with nearly $600 billion under management — slid into the S&P 500. It shoved out snack giant Kellanova, which completed its $35.9 billion sale to Mars that same day, while Vital Farms replaced Heidrick & Struggles in the S&P SmallCap 600 after the executive-search firm closed its $1.3 billion take-private just one day earlier.

Updated Jan 9