Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.5714.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on Hormel Foods from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Hormel Foods in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hormel Foods from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th.

Hormel Foods Stock Down 10.1%

Shares of NYSE HRL opened at $21.30 on Friday. Hormel Foods has a 1 year low of $19.70 and a 1 year high of $26.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $24.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.39. The firm has a market cap of $11.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.94.

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

Key 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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gary C. Bhojwani sold 20,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $784,369.02. This represents a 38.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hormel Foods

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,338,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $701,098,000 after buying an additional 269,941 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hormel Foods in the 2nd quarter worth $489,092,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Hormel Foods by 66.5% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 11,331,941 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,352,000 after acquiring an additional 4,526,167 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Hormel Foods by 2,186.0% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,259,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,993,000 after acquiring an additional 7,897,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Hormel Foods by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,080,832 shares of the company’s stock valued at $190,805,000 after acquiring an additional 63,583 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.99% of the company’s stock.

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.