Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Hormel Foods from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $27.00 price objective on Hormel Foods and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays set a $30.00 target price on Hormel Foods and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.29.

Hormel Foods Stock Performance

HRL opened at $23.69 on Monday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.90. Hormel Foods has a 1 year low of $21.03 and a 1 year high of $32.07. The company has a market capitalization of $13.03 billion, a PE ratio of 27.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.33.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $3.24 billion. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 9.41% and a net margin of 3.95%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. Hormel Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.430-1.51 EPS. Research analysts expect 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 will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a $0.2925 dividend. This represents a $1.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. This is a boost from Hormel Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. Hormel Foods’s payout ratio is 133.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Hormel Foods during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 162.7% during the second quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Hormel Foods during the second quarter worth $30,000. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hormel Foods during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 514.6% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,266 shares during the last quarter. 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.