Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) Price Target Raised to $25.00 at Stephens

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) had its price target lifted by research analysts at Stephens from $22.00 to $25.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Stephens’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 5.60% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on HRL. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $23.00 price objective (down from $28.00) on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.83.

Hormel Foods Trading Up 0.4%

Hormel Foods stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $23.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,460,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,852,840. 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 stock has a market cap of $13.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $21.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.97. Hormel Foods has a 12 month low of $19.70 and a 12 month high of $31.86.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.96 billion. Hormel Foods had a net margin of 4.03% and a return on equity of 9.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. Hormel Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.430-1.510 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Hormel Foods will post 1.41 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 107.5% in the third quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 456,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,298,000 after purchasing an additional 236,637 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hormel Foods by 11.2% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,595,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $930,121,000 after purchasing an additional 729,942 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 2,042,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,408,000 after purchasing an additional 171,137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 297.6% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,198,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,815,000 after purchasing an additional 3,142,670 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.99% of the company’s stock.

Hormel Foods News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Hormel beat Wall Street expectations with adjusted EPS of $0.40 versus $0.35 expected, and revenue of $2.97 billion versus $2.96 billion expected, helping support the stock. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: The company said demand was strong for protein-rich foods, especially chicken and turkey, and management highlighted margin-driven momentum across retail, foodservice, and international segments. TipRanks article
• Positive Sentiment: Investors also welcomed signs that Hormel’s turnaround strategy is gaining traction, with organic sales growth and expanded adjusted margins supporting the case for a profit recovery. MSN article
• Positive Sentiment: Hormel reaffirmed fiscal 2026 guidance for adjusted EPS of $1.43 to $1.51 and revenue of $12.2 billion to $12.5 billion, which helped calm concerns about the pace of the recovery. Press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Management updated GAAP earnings guidance lower because of portfolio actions, including the sale of its whole-bird turkey business, but said the impact on adjusted EPS should be minimal.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat, the company noted lower GAAP profit and profit guidance than some investors had hoped for, which could cap upside if margin recovery slows. WSJ article

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.