Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $20.32 and last traded at $20.1550, with a volume of 232339 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.44.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Hormel Foods from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $23.00 price target (down from $28.00) on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.00.

Hormel Foods Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $11.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 2.66 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $22.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.17.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 4.03%.Hormel Foods’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.35 earnings per share. Hormel Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.430-1.510 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hormel Foods Corporation will post 1.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hormel Foods Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.2925 per share. This represents a $1.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 13th. Hormel Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 131.46%.

Institutional Trading of Hormel Foods

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HRL. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 130.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 91,706 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,269,000 after purchasing an additional 51,827 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Hormel Foods by 107.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 456,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,298,000 after acquiring an additional 236,637 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Hormel Foods by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,769,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,735,000 after acquiring an additional 581,006 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Hormel Foods by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,595,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $930,121,000 after acquiring an additional 729,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY acquired a new position in Hormel Foods during the 3rd quarter worth about $19,824,000. 40.99% of the stock is 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.