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

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $27.7143.

Several research firms recently commented on HRL. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hormel Foods from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays set a $30.00 price target on Hormel Foods and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Zacks Research raised Hormel Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th.

Hormel Foods Trading Down 1.1%

HRL stock opened at $21.85 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 simple moving average is $23.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.63. Hormel Foods has a 52 week low of $21.03 and a 52 week high of $31.86. The company has a market capitalization of $12.02 billion, a PE ratio of 24.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.36.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. Hormel Foods had a net margin of 4.03% and a return on equity of 9.38%. The business had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.35 earnings per share. Hormel Foods’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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hormel Foods will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Hormel Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.2925 per share. This represents a $1.17 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. Hormel Foods’s dividend payout ratio is presently 131.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hormel Foods

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods during the second quarter worth about $30,000. 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.