Ethic Inc. Purchases 56,172 Shares of Hormel Foods Corporation $HRL

Ethic Inc. increased its position in shares of Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) by 60.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 149,335 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 56,172 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Hormel Foods were worth $3,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Hormel Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in Hormel Foods by 514.6% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,266 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $64,000. Institutional investors own 40.99% of the company’s stock.

Hormel Foods Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE HRL opened at $20.17 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 2.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $22.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.12. Hormel Foods Corporation has a 52-week low of $19.89 and a 52-week high of $31.86. The company has a market capitalization of $11.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.33.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 4.03%.The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.35 EPS. The business’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. Equities analysts forecast that Hormel Foods Corporation will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Hormel Foods Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be paid a $0.2925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 13th. This represents a $1.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. Hormel Foods’s payout ratio is 131.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HRL shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hormel Foods from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $23.00 price target (down from $28.00) on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.00.

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.