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 firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $26.14.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HRL shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Hormel Foods from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Hormel Foods from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Stephens set a $23.00 target price on Hormel Foods in a research report on Friday, August 28th.

Insider Activity at Hormel Foods

In other news, Director Gary C. Bhojwani sold 20,200 shares of the business’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 value of $495,102.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 32,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,369.02. The trade was a 38.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hormel Foods

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hormel Foods during the second quarter valued at approximately $489,092,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Hormel Foods by 2.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,849,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,152,000 after acquiring an additional 134,983 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Hormel Foods in the fourth quarter worth $85,840,000. Finally, Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Hormel Foods by 7.8% in the second quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 2,285,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,716,000 after acquiring an additional 165,403 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.99% of the company’s stock.

Hormel Foods Price Performance

HRL stock opened at $19.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.84. The stock has a market cap of $10.98 billion, a PE ratio of 31.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.33. Hormel Foods has a one year low of $19.42 and a one year high of $26.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 9.91%. The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.35 EPS. The business’s quarterly 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. On average, analysts predict that Hormel Foods will post 1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Hormel Foods

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) is a global food company that develops, produces and markets branded meat, prepared foods and other grocery products. Its portfolio includes SPAM luncheon meat, Hormel pepperoni, Hormel Compleats meals, Jennie-O turkey products, Applegate natural and organic foods, Columbus deli meats and Planters snack products.

The company sells products through retail grocery channels, foodservice operations and international markets. Its offerings are used by consumers, restaurants, schools, hospitals and other institutional customers, with products distributed across the United States and in selected markets worldwide.

Founded in 1891 by George A.