BNP Paribas Exane Cuts Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) Price Target to $26.00

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) had its price target cut by BNP Paribas Exane from $27.00 to $26.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on HRL. Stephens set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Hormel Foods in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $25.00 target price on shares of Hormel Foods in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hormel Foods from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $26.14.

Hormel Foods Price Performance

HRL stock opened at $21.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.88. Hormel Foods has a 1 year low of $19.70 and a 1 year high of $26.60. The firm has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.37.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 27th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 2.82%.The company’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.35 EPS. Hormel Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.450-1.510 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Hormel Foods will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hormel Foods news, Director Gary C. Bhojwani sold 20,200 shares of Hormel Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.51, for a total transaction of $495,102.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,002 shares in the company, valued at $784,369.02. The trade was a 38.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hormel Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Masters Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Hormel Foods in the first quarter worth $19,252,000. Fidelity National Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hormel Foods during the fourth quarter worth $15,642,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 465,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,025,000 after purchasing an additional 81,420 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of Hormel Foods in the 2nd quarter worth about $8,338,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,615,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,290,000 after buying an additional 138,439 shares during the last quarter. 40.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hormel Foods News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hormel Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hormel reported adjusted third-quarter EPS of $0.37, ahead of analyst estimates of approximately $0.35–$0.36 and up from $0.35 a year earlier. Margin expansion and cost management helped offset weaker volumes. Hormel Foods Q3 Earnings Beat on Margin Expansion, Sales Miss
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised and narrowed its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $1.45–$1.51, compared with prior guidance of $1.40–$1.50. Operating cash flow also increased 54% to $240.6 million. Hormel Foods Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane lowered its HRL price target from $27 to $26 and assigned a neutral rating. The revised target still implies meaningful potential upside from recent levels, but the rating signals limited confidence in near-term growth. BNP Paribas Exane Hormel Foods Price Target Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts view Hormel’s elevated dividend yield—reported at roughly 5.5% after the sell-off—and valuation as attractive for long-term income investors, though earnings-based valuation remains a concern. Hormel Foods: A Protein Powerhouse With a Secure Yield
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue fell 2.4% year over year to $2.96 billion, missing the roughly $3.03 billion consensus estimate. Retail sales declined 4%, international sales dropped 5%, and management cited pressured consumers, lower commodity prices and weak private-label snack-nut demand. Hormel Foods Cuts Annual Sales Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Hormel reduced fiscal 2026 revenue guidance to $12.1–$12.2 billion from $12.2–$12.5 billion, reinforcing concerns that sluggish demand and falling sales will limit growth despite improved margins and EPS. Why Hormel Foods Stock Swooned

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.