Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts' consensus: Hold — Nine analysts cover Hormel (1 sell, 6 hold, 2 buy) with an average 1-year target of $27.00 and recent mixed notes including JPMorgan cutting its target to $23.
• Latest quarter: Hormel reported $0.34 EPS (beat) but revenue of $3.03B missed expectations, set FY2026 guidance of 1.430–1.510 EPS, and the stock trades around $21.55 near its 12‑month low.
• Dividend yield is attractive at 5.4% (quarterly $0.2925, $1.17 annual), but the payout ratio is high at 131%, which may raise sustainability concerns.

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $27.00.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HRL shares. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised Hormel Foods from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Hormel Foods from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hormel Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hormel Foods in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Hormel Foods in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Hormel Foods in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in Hormel Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hormel Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 40.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hormel Foods Price Performance

Shares of HRL stock opened at $21.55 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average is $22.86 and its 200 day moving average is $23.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $11.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.21, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.36. Hormel Foods has a twelve month low of $20.32 and a twelve month high of $31.86.

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

Hormel Foods Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 5.4%. Hormel Foods's dividend payout ratio is presently 131.46%.

Hormel Foods Company 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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