Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) Issues Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.340-0.340 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.320. The company issued revenue guidance of $3.0 billion-$3.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $3.1 billion.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Hormel Foods from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Friday, December 5th. Stephens dropped their price target on shares of Hormel Foods from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Hormel Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.43.

Hormel Foods Price Performance

HRL stock traded up $0.00 during trading on Thursday, hitting $24.48. 309,392 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,690,508. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.33. Hormel Foods has a 52 week low of $21.03 and a 52 week high of $32.07. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 2.47.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 9.41% and a net margin of 3.95%.Hormel Foods’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Hormel Foods will post 1.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hormel Foods Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th were paid a $0.2925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 12th. This is a positive change from Hormel Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.17 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Hormel Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 134.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HRL. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in Hormel Foods in the first quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 57,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,779,000 after buying an additional 993 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 40.8% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 24,583 shares of the company’s stock valued at $761,000 after buying an additional 7,129 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hormel Foods by 214.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 3,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in Hormel Foods by 76.5% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 103,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,134,000 after acquiring an additional 44,906 shares during the last quarter. 40.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.