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

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.430-1.510 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.460. The company issued revenue guidance of $12.2 billion-$12.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $12.4 billion.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HRL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Hormel Foods from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays set a $30.00 target price on shares of Hormel Foods and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Stephens dropped their price target on Hormel Foods from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.43.

Hormel Foods Stock Performance

Hormel Foods stock opened at $24.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $24.20 and its 200 day moving average is $24.36. Hormel Foods has a 1-year low of $21.03 and a 1-year high of $32.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.33.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 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 $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. Hormel Foods’s quarterly 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. Research analysts forecast that Hormel Foods will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

More Hormel Foods News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hormel Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 adjusted EPS topped consensus ($0.34 vs ~$0.32), showing the company can still generate earnings despite headwinds. Zacks: Q1 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Foodservice and international channels showed strength, partially offsetting weakness in U.S. retail — a sign the company’s portfolio diversification is helping performance. Benzinga: Foodservice & International Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Management says turnaround initiatives are gaining traction, with commentary in the press and analyst decks highlighting early benefits to profitability. MSN: Turnaround Gains Traction
• Neutral Sentiment: FY26 guidance was updated to EPS $1.430–1.510 and revenue $12.2B–$12.5B — roughly in line with consensus but not a clear upside catalyst; investors will watch execution against that range. PR Newswire: Q1 Results & Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are reexamining valuation after results and portfolio moves — some see the stock as more attractively valued, but upside depends on retail recovery and margin stability. Yahoo: Valuation After Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed Wall Street (~$3.03B vs ~$3.07B expected), driven by softer U.S. retail sales — the top-line miss pressured sentiment. Reuters: Missed Sales Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Margins tightened and volumes fell in the quarter despite sales growth in some channels, raising questions about near-term profitability momentum. Zacks: Margins, Volumes
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction was negative after the print — intraday flow shows investors punished the stock on the revenue miss and retail softness despite the EPS beat. Benzinga: Market Reaction

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hormel Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Hormel Foods during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Hormel Foods in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in Hormel Foods during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Hormel Foods by 354.7% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Hormel Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 40.99% of the company’s stock.

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.