Hormel Foods Corporation (HRL) is a publicly traded company in the Consumer Defensive — Packaged Foods industry listed on NYSE. This overview shows the latest price, key valuation ratios, profitability metrics and financial-health indicators used by fundamental investors.
Hormel Foods Corporation is a prominent global food company that specializes in the creation, preparation, and supply of a diverse array of meat, nut, and other culinary items. Its extensive clientele spans retail outlets, institutional food providers (foodservice), specialty delis, and various commercial enterprises across the United States and internationally.
Analysis Summary
Hormel Foods Corporation reported revenue of $12.11B in the most recent fiscal year, growing at a 5-year CAGR of 4.7%. Net income reached $478.2M, with a -12.0% 5-year CAGR.
Trailing-twelve-month margins: gross margin 15.7%, operating margin 4.7%, net margin 2.8%. Free cash flow grew at -6.8% CAGR over 5 years.
At the current price of $20.78, HRL trades at a P/E of 33.06 and an ROE of 4.33%. Market capitalisation stands at $11.4B, placing it among large-cap names.
Balance sheet quality for HRL: current ratio of 2.5, net debt of $2.15B. A debt-to-equity below 1.0 typically signals conservative capital structure, while a current ratio above 1.5 indicates comfortable short-term liquidity.
Cash flow quality is strong: free cash flow of $534.3M represents 112% conversion of reported net income. High conversion (above 90%) suggests earnings translate cleanly into cash; lower conversion may indicate working capital tightness or accounting timing differences.
Price
| Price | $20.78 |
| Market Cap | $11.4B |
| Exchange | NYSE |
| Country | US |
Valuation Ratios
| P/E Ratio | 33.06 |
| Price / Book | 1.46 |
| EV / EBITDA | 15.42 |
| Dividend Yield | 5.61% |
Profitability
| Return on Equity | 4.33% |
| Return on Invested Capital | 3.16% |
| Return on Assets | 2.58% |
| Gross Margin | 15.68% |
| Operating Margin | 4.72% |
| Net Margin | 2.82% |
Financial Health
| Debt / Equity | 0.36 |
| Current Ratio | 1.88 |
| Piotroski F-Score | 5 |
| Altman Z-Score | 3.48 |
What to look at in Consumer Defensive companies
- Gross margin (stable 5y) (Stable >=35%) — Brand pricing power — Coca-Cola does not drop margins.
- ROE / ROIC stable (ROE >=15% stable) — Defensive businesses have high consistent ROEs — Lynch's stalwarts.
- FCF / Net Income (>=90%) — Earnings to cash conversion — best names exceed 95%.
- Dividend growth 10y (>=6%/year) — Dividend Aristocrats raise 25+ years — moat signal.
- Payout Ratio (<75%) — >80% = dividend at risk. <60% comfortable.
- Net Debt / EBITDA (<2.5x) — Defensive with high debt loses its essence.
Peer Comparison
| Symbol | Company | Market Cap | P/E | P/B | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRL | Hormel Foods Corporation | $11.3B | 33.06 | 1.46 | 4.3% |
| COKE | Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. | $14.8B | 24.65 | ||
| PPC | Pilgrim's Pride Corporation | $7.1B | 12.73 | 1.86 | 14.9% |
| CPB | Campbell Soup Company | $6.4B | 15.50 | 1.61 | 10.2% |
| BF-B | Brown-Forman Corporation | $12.2B | 17.00 | 3.03 | 17.8% |
| CLX | The Clorox Company | $10.3B | 17.49 | 114.04 | -18.9% |
| BJ | BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. | $11.7B | 20.17 | 5.38 | 27.4% |
| CAG | Conagra Brands, Inc. | $7.2B | 1.14 | -24.3% |
Price Performance
| 1 month | -14.63% |
| 3 months | -13.99% |
| Year-to-date | -12.32% |
| 1 year | -16.51% |
| 3 years | -45.63% |
| 5 years | -50.55% |
52-Week Range
| 52-week High | $26.60 |
| 52-week Low | $19.70 |
| Avg Volume (90d) | 5.0M |
Dividend History
| Date | Amount | Yield |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-13 | $0.2925 | 5.63% |
| 2026-04-13 | $0.2925 | 5.63% |
| 2026-01-12 | $0.2925 | 5.63% |
| 2025-10-14 | $0.2900 | 5.58% |
| 2025-07-14 | $0.2900 | 5.58% |
| 2025-04-14 | $0.2900 | 5.58% |
| 2025-01-13 | $0.2900 | 5.58% |
| 2024-10-15 | $0.2825 | 5.44% |
| 2024-07-15 | $0.2825 | 5.44% |
| 2024-04-12 | $0.2825 | 5.44% |
Related companies: BF-B · BJ · CAG · CLX · COKE · CPB · LW
Explore sector: Consumer Defensive · Packaged Foods
More sections of HRL: Financials · Valuation · Statistics · Estimates · Technical · Ownership · News · Events
Discover more: Radar — undervalued stock signals · Investment Academy — learn to analyze stocks