Hormel Foods Corporation $HRL Shares Bought by Vest Financial LLC

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in Hormel Foods by 9.1% in Q4 to 2,042,541 shares (about $48.4 million), representing roughly 0.37% ownership.
• Hormel declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2925 (annualized $1.17) with a yield of 5.4%, but the dividend payout ratio is an elevated 131.46%, which could raise sustainability concerns.
• Analysts' consensus is a Hold with an average target of $27 while the stock trades near $21.50; the company beat EPS estimates ($0.34 vs. $0.32), slightly missed revenue, and issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 1.430–1.510.

Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,042,541 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 171,137 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.37% of Hormel Foods worth $48,408,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Hormel Foods by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 55,180 shares of the company's stock worth $1,308,000 after buying an additional 437 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its position in Hormel Foods by 3.8% during the third quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 13,407 shares of the company's stock worth $332,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the period. Mystic Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Hormel Foods by 6.4% during the third quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,300 shares of the company's stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in Hormel Foods by 0.6% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 90,362 shares of the company's stock worth $2,236,000 after buying an additional 560 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in Hormel Foods by 6.2% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 9,728 shares of the company's stock worth $241,000 after buying an additional 567 shares during the period. 40.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HRL has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hormel Foods from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hormel Foods from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $23.00 price target (down from $28.00) on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.00.

Hormel Foods Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE HRL opened at $21.50 on Tuesday. Hormel Foods Corporation has a 1 year low of $20.32 and a 1 year high of $31.86. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $22.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.29. The firm has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 2.66.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. Hormel Foods had a net margin of 4.03% and a return on equity of 9.38%. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.35 earnings per share. Hormel Foods's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Hormel Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.430-1.510 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hormel Foods Corporation will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Hormel Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th will be given a dividend of $0.2925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. This represents a $1.17 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. Hormel Foods's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 131.46%.

About Hormel Foods

Hormel Foods Corporation is a global branded foods company primarily engaged in the production, marketing and distribution of value-added, high-quality meat and food products. The company's portfolio spans a range of categories including refrigerated and frozen meats, pantry staples, specialty foods and shelf-stable items. Through manufacturing facilities located across North America and international markets, Hormel Foods supplies retail grocers, foodservice operators, convenience stores and e-commerce platforms.

Among its best-known brands, Hormel Foods produces SPAM® canned meats, Jennie-O® turkey products, Skippy® peanut butter and Applegate® natural and organic meats.

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