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

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.340-0.340 for the period, compared to the consensus 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HRL has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Hormel Foods and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $26.00 price target (up from $25.00) on shares of Hormel Foods in a research note on Friday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hormel Foods from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Barclays set a $30.00 target price on shares of Hormel Foods and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hormel Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hormel Foods presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.43.

Hormel Foods Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of HRL stock traded up $0.70 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $24.14. 453,408 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,619,502. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $24.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 1.20. Hormel Foods has a 52-week low of $21.03 and a 52-week high of $32.07. The stock has a market cap of $13.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.33.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.02. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 9.41% and a net margin of 3.95%.The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Hormel Foods will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

Hormel Foods Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Hormel Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Hormel Foods in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 1.8% in the first 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 boosted its holdings in Hormel Foods by 40.8% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 24,583 shares of the company’s stock valued at $761,000 after acquiring an additional 7,129 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Hormel Foods by 214.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,000 after acquiring an additional 3,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Hormel Foods by 76.5% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 103,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,134,000 after purchasing an additional 44,906 shares during the period. 40.99% of the stock is 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.