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

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

Hormel Foods Stock Performance

Shares of HRL stock opened at $24.55 on Friday. Hormel Foods has a 12 month low of $21.03 and a 12 month high of $32.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $24.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.47. The stock has a market cap of $13.50 billion, a PE ratio of 28.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.33.

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

Hormel Foods Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HRL. Stephens lowered their price objective on shares of Hormel Foods from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $26.00 price target (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Hormel Foods from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hormel Foods presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.43.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hormel Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 61.6% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 46,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 17,721 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Hormel Foods during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,503,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Hormel Foods in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 303.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 61,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after acquiring an additional 46,415 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Hormel Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $1,168,000. 40.99% of the stock is currently 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.