Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 461,852 Shares of Hormel Foods Corporation $HRL

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its Hormel position by 461,852 shares (a 1.2% reduction) to 37,133,991 shares, still owning 6.75% of the company worth about $880 million.
• Dividend announced of $0.2925 per share quarterly (annual $1.17) yields 5.5%, though the payout ratio is a high 131.46%, which may raise sustainability questions.
• Analysts show a consensus "Hold" rating with a $27 price target; Hormel beat quarterly EPS ($0.34 vs. $0.32) but slightly missed revenue and provided FY2026 guidance of $1.430–1.510 EPS.

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,133,991 shares of the company's stock after selling 461,852 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 6.75% of Hormel Foods worth $880,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HRL. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of Hormel Foods in the 1st quarter worth about $310,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 57,500 shares of the company's stock worth $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 993 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 40.8% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 24,583 shares of the company's stock worth $761,000 after purchasing an additional 7,129 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 214.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,731 shares of the company's stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 3,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 76.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 103,616 shares of the company's stock worth $3,134,000 after purchasing an additional 44,906 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HRL. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $23.00 target price (down from $28.00) on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hormel Foods from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $27.00.

Hormel Foods Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE HRL opened at $21.32 on Friday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $22.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.24. The company has a market cap of $11.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Hormel Foods Corporation has a 12-month low of $20.32 and a 12-month high of $31.86.

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

Hormel Foods Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.5%. Hormel Foods's dividend payout ratio is 131.46%.

Hormel Foods Profile

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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