Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.7143.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Hormel Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hormel Foods from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Hormel Foods and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th.

Hormel Foods Price Performance

HRL stock opened at $22.71 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $24.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.05. The firm has a market cap of $12.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 2.66. Hormel Foods has a 1 year low of $21.03 and a 1 year high of $32.07.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 4.03%.The company had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hormel Foods will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hormel Foods during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Hormel Foods in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Hormel Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. 40.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.