Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $26.5714.

Several research firms recently weighed in on HRL. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on Hormel Foods from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Bank of America raised their price target on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Hormel Foods in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Thursday, May 21st.

Hormel Foods Trading Down 10.1%

Shares of HRL opened at $21.30 on Friday. Hormel Foods has a twelve month low of $19.70 and a twelve month high of $26.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $24.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.39.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 27th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hormel Foods had a net margin of 3.82% and a return on equity of 9.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.35 EPS. Hormel Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.450-1.510 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hormel Foods will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More Hormel Foods News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Hormel raised and narrowed its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $1.45–$1.51, supported by margin expansion and solid year-to-date performance. Adjusted quarterly EPS of $0.37 exceeded analysts’ expectations. Hormel Foods Q3 Earnings Beat on Margin Expansion, Sales Miss
• Positive Sentiment: Operating cash flow increased 54% to $240.6 million, while the foodservice business generated 2% sales growth, providing some support for liquidity and earnings stability. Hormel Foods Reports Third-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: The sell-off increased Hormel’s already attractive dividend yield, which could appeal to income-oriented investors if management can maintain cash generation. Why Hormel Foods Stock Swooned Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Hormel appointed a former Tyson executive as chief financial officer. The leadership change could influence capital allocation and execution, but its near-term financial impact is unclear. Hormel Foods Names Former Tyson Executive CFO
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue was $2.96 billion, below the roughly $3.03 billion analyst estimate and down 2.4% year over year. Retail sales fell 4% and international sales declined 5%, signaling weak volume and consumer pullback. Hormel Foods Cuts Annual Sales Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Management cut fiscal 2026 net-sales guidance to $12.1–$12.2 billion from $12.2–$12.5 billion, with lower turkey prices and weak private-label snack-nut demand weighing on the outlook. Hormel Foods Cuts Sales Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Reported profitability was pressured by weak volume and significant charges, including a Brazil divestiture loss, an Indonesia investment impairment, and a litigation settlement. Hormel Foods Q3 Profit Declines
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option activity indicated increased near-term hedging or bearish speculation around HRL following the earnings release.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hormel Foods news, Director Gary C. Bhojwani sold 20,200 shares of Hormel Foods stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.51, for a total transaction of $495,102.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 32,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,369.02. The trade was a 38.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hormel Foods

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HRL. Masters Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of 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 valued at $15,642,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Hormel Foods by 21.2% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank purchased a new stake in Hormel Foods during the 2nd quarter worth about $8,338,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in 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 valued at $38,290,000 after purchasing an additional 138,439 shares during the last quarter. 40.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.