Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) Issues 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.

Hormel Foods Price Performance

NYSE HRL opened at $23.45 on Wednesday. Hormel Foods has a 1 year low of $21.03 and a 1 year high of $32.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.47. 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 has a market cap of $12.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.95, 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. Hormel Foods had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 9.41%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.42 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hormel Foods will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

Hormel Foods Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 12th. This represents a $1.17 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.0%. This is a boost from Hormel Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Hormel Foods’s payout ratio is presently 134.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on HRL shares. Bank of America raised their target price on Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hormel Foods from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $27.00 target price on shares of Hormel Foods and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Hormel Foods and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.43.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hormel Foods

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Hormel Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,340,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its stake in Hormel Foods by 66.1% during the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 32,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $778,000 after acquiring an additional 13,072 shares in the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 363.1% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 324,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,683,000 after acquiring an additional 254,172 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,345,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,880,000 after acquiring an additional 123,755 shares during the period. Finally, FIL Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 140.0% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 10,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 6,239 shares in the last quarter. 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.