Hormel Foods CorporationHRL
NYSE•Consumer Defensive•Packaged Foods
Hormel Foods Corporation develops, processes, and distributes various meat, nuts, and other food products to foodservice, convenience store, and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Retail, Foodservice, and International segments. The company provides various perishable products, including resh meats, frozen items, refrigerated meal solutions, bacon, sausages, hams, guacamole, and other items that require refrigeration; and shelf-stable products, such as canned luncheon meats, nut butters, snack nuts, chili, shelf-stable microwaveable meals, hash, stews, tortillas, salsas, tortilla chips, and other items that do not require refrigeration. It sells its products under the HORMEL, ALWAYS TENDER, APPLEGATE, AUSTIN BLUES, BACON 1, BLACK LABEL, BREAD READY, BURKE, CAFÉ H, CERATTI, CHI-CHI'S, COLUMBUS, COMPLEATS, CORN NUTS, CURE 81, DAN'S PRIZE, DI LUSSO, DINTY MOORE, DON MIGUEL, DOÑA MARIA, EMBASA, FAST N EASY, FIRE BRAISED, FONTANINI, HERDEZ, HORMEL GATHERINGS, HOUSE OF TSANG, JENNIE-O, JUSTIN'S, LA VICTORIA, LAYOUT, LLOYD'S, MARY KITCHEN, MR. PEANUT, NATURAL CHOICE, NUT-RITION, OLD SMOKEHOUSE, OVEN READY, PILLOW PACK, PLANTERS, ROSA GRANDE, SADLER'S SMOKEHOUSE, SKIPPY, SPAM, SQUARE TABLE, SPECIAL RECIPE, VALLEY FRESH, and WHOLLY brands through sales personnel, independent brokers, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Geo. A. Hormel & Company and changed its name to Hormel Foods Corporation in January 1995. Hormel Foods Corporation was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Austin, Minnesota.
Hormel Foods Corporation (HRL) reported trailing twelve months revenue of $12.22B as of April 2026, a 2.5% increase year-over-year. Quarterly revenue reached $2.97B, reflecting continued top-line momentum.
Hormel Foods Corporation generated $466.88M in TTM net income, with quarterly EBITDA of $285.94M. The operating margin contracted from 8.6% to 7.3%, suggesting rising cost pressures or pricing headwinds.
The spread between operating margin (7.3%) and net margin (5.3%) indicates tight cost control with minimal non-operating drag. Net margin has narrowed from 6.2% a year ago, reflecting increased costs or interest expense.
HRL trades at a P/E of 29.2x (in line with broad market averages) and a P/S of 1.1x. The price-to-book ratio of 1.7x reflects a moderate premium to book value.
The company generated $96.77M in free cash flow over the trailing twelve months, a 619.0% increase year-over-year, indicating cash generation ability. The balance sheet shows $13.34B in total assets with $2.35B in long-term debt against $7.95B in stockholders equity for a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.3, a conservative capital structure. Data based on the most recent quarterly reports.
Competitive analysis based on 21 quarters of fundamental data
Operating margins are positive at ~7.1% on average, but show some variability — pricing power may be sensitive to market conditions.
ROE is positive at ~8.3% on average, adequate but below the threshold typically associated with wide moats.
7 of the last 8 quarters generated positive FCF. The company generally funds itself but has occasional cash consumption quarters.
Revenue shows resilience with 5 of 7 quarters posting growth — demand is generally stable but has seen some soft patches.
Data-driven red flags and warnings across 21 quarters
Operating margins dropped 30.9% over recent quarters — a sharp decline suggesting serious cost or pricing challenges.
FCF/Net Income has dropped below 0.7x in 4 quarters — monitor for earnings quality deterioration.
D/E ratio is 0.3 — conservative capital structure with low financial risk.
Revenue is stable or growing over recent quarters — demand appears durable.
Free cash flow is consistently positive — the business self-funds without external capital reliance.
Share count is stable — no significant dilution or buyback activity.
Quarterly standardized metrics.
Stock price and market valuation
Revenue and earnings growth across quarters
Assets, cash, debt, and leverage
Price multiples and return ratios
Operating efficiency and return metrics
Free cash flow, earnings quality, and capital allocation