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HRLHormel Foods CorporationSell4.3·$20.61
SellModerate Confidence
Investment thesis

A packaged-foods company with declining revenue, a quality profile below the minimum investment threshold, and the stock trading in overbought territory (RSI 86) above its near-term technical ceiling — with an unfavorable risk/reward — presents a setup that argues for exiting or avoiding the position, despite a recent three-quarter earnings beat streak.

Thesis pillars

  • Overbought Price Above Resistance↓Deteriorating
  • Revenue Contraction Headwind→Stable
  • Quality Below Investment Threshold→Stable
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Pillars as of Jul 3, 2026, based on the 10-K filed Dec 5, 2025

Full reasoning →

Open full analysis

Hormel Foods Corporation (HRL) Stock Analysis

Recovery setup

SellValueShortModerate Confidence

Consumer Defensive · Packaged Foods

Sell if holding. At $20.61, A.R:R 0.8:1 is below the 1.5:1 minimum. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Thin upside margin: 6.9%; V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.1).

Hormel Foods processes and markets branded food products—including Planters, SPAM, Jennie-O, and Skippy—through Retail, Foodservice, and International segments, generating more than $12 billion in annual revenue. Walmart represented 15.6% of consolidated gross sales in fiscal... Read more

$20.61+6.9% A.UpsideScore 4.3/10#33 of 34 Packaged Foods
QualityF-score6 / 9FCF yield5.48%
IncomeYield5.61%(5y avg 3.11%)Payout188.31%at-risk
Stop $19.73Analyst target $22.02(−13% haircut)A.R:R 0.8:1
Analyst consensus$25.31+22.8%8 analysts
$22.02Analyst target
$20.61price
$25.31mean
$29

Sell if holding. At $20.61, A.R:R 0.8:1 is below the 1.5:1 minimum. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Thin upside margin: 6.9%; V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.1). Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 70. Score 4.3/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 5/8 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, earnings proximity 34d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and death cross (50MA < 200MA). Suitability: moderate.

10-K grounded · weekly refresh

About Hormel Foods Corporation

About Hormel Foods Corporation

Hormel Foods generated more than $12 billion in annual revenue in fiscal 2025; Walmart Inc. and its subsidiaries represented 15.6% of consolidated gross sales, and the top five customers collectively 38%. Three segments—Retail, Foodservice, and International—distribute Planters, SPAM, Jennie-O, and Skippy to grocery, club, foodservice, and international channels. Approximately 20,000 employees were on staff at October 26, 2025, with over 90% in the United States.

Hormel earns branded revenue primarily from pork and turkey products, with animal proteins remaining the core input. The company takes a balanced approach to pork sourcing—combining internal facility purchases at its Austin, Minnesota processing plant, long-term supply agreements, and spot market contracts—while raising the majority of its turkeys internally. Turkey production cost is subject to feed grain volatility; Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was detected in the turkey supply chain in both fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025. Commodity hedges including futures, swaps, and options partially mitigate short-term price swings but cannot fully offset sustained market moves. The Retail and Foodservice segments face competition from other pork and turkey processors, national brands, private-label producers, and plant-based protein alternatives. Advertising and trade promotion support shelf placement across retail, club, drug, and e-commerce channels.

Show full overview

Walmart's 15.6% share of consolidated gross sales in fiscal 2025—spanning both the Retail and International segments—makes it the company's most concentrated single commercial relationship. The top-five customer group at approximately 38% of gross sales means that a pricing or assortment dispute with any top customer could adversely affect that segment's results, per the 10-K. Separately, the fiscal 2025 impairment of the Planters trade name by $59.1 million and the Chi-Chi's trade name by $2.9 million signal brand-equity erosion in the snacks category, adding pricing-power risk to the existing customer concentration.

See also: Consumer Defensive · Packaged Foods

From Hormel Foods Corporation's most recent 10-K filing, extracted June 10, 2026.

news + 30-day 8-K events · 5-min refresh

Recent developments

updated 2026-10-29
TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Thu, Dec 3, 202634d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
Sector modifier (Consumer Defensive): +0.8
Strong earnings beat streak (4/4)
Risks
Thin upside margin: 6.9%
V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.1)
Weak overall score: 4.3/10

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)32.7
P/E (Fwd)13.2
Mkt Cap$11.3B
EV/EBITDA10.6
Profit Mgn2.8%
ROE4.3%
Rev Growth-2.4%
Beta0.29
Dividend5.61%
Rating analysts15

Quality Signals

Piotroski F6/9

Options Flow

P/C1.66bearish
IV52%elevated

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • LOWCustomerWalmart16%
    10-K Item 1: 'Sales to the Company's largest customer, Walmart ... accounted for 15.6 percent of consolidated gross sales'
  • MEDIUMCustomertop five customers38%
    10-K Item 1: 'The Company's top five customers collectively represented approximately 38 percent of consolidated gross sales less returns and allowances during fiscal 2025'

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. How we score · Editorial policy

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About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.

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Conflicts and positions. People who build TrendMatrix, or entities they control, may hold positions, long or short, in securities it covers, and may trade them at any time. Positions are not disclosed individually. Verdicts are generated by an automated model applied by the same rules to every covered stock, and are not adjusted for any position held by the people who build TrendMatrix. We do not accept payment from issuers for coverage.

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Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

3 floor-breakers

Revenue shrinking — -2.4% YoY. Growth thesis broken unless recovery story develops.static

Earnings Growth
0.0
Revenue Growth
1.9
Declining revenue: -2%

Momentum below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Volume
0.1
Obv
1.0
Rsi
3.0
Ma Position
4.0
Macd
10.0
Overbought bear rally (RSI 70)Volume distribution (falling OBV)Below 200-MA, MA slope -1.6%/30d — confirmed downtrend

Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static

Growth Rank
2.5
Value Rank
2.5
Quality Rank
3.4
GatesMomentum 3.6<4.5A.R:R 0.8 < 1.5@spotDeath cross (50MA < 200MA)Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsEARNINGS PROXIMITY 34d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARRecoverySuitability: Moderate
RSI
70 · Overbought
↑ 20D MA↓ 50D MA↓ 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $18.77Resistance $21.38

Price Targets

$20
$22
A.Upside+6.9%
A.R:R0.8:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0%
Max %0%
RegimeRisk-Off

Risk Alerts

! momentum at 3.6 (below the engine's 4.5 threshold)
! asymmetry at 0.8 (below the engine's 1.5 threshold)@spot
! Death cross — 50-day MA below 200-day MA

Earnings

B
B
B
B
4/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-12-03 (34d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
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Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HRL stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. At $20.61, A.R:R 0.8:1 is below the 1.5:1 minimum. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Thin upside margin: 6.9%; V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.1). Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 70. Prior stop was $19.73. Score 4.3/10, moderate confidence.

What is the HRL stock price target?

Analyst target: $22.02 (+6.9% upside). Prior stop was $19.73. Stop-loss: $19.73.

What are the risks of investing in HRL?

Thin upside margin: 6.9%; V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.1); Weak overall score: 4.3/10.

Is HRL overvalued or undervalued?

Hormel Foods Corporation trades at a P/E of 32.7 (forward 13.2). TrendMatrix value score: 6.6/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about HRL?

15 analysts cover HRL with a consensus score of 3.5/5. Average price target: $25.

What does Hormel Foods Corporation do?Hormel Foods processes and markets branded food products—including Planters, SPAM, Jennie-O, and Skippy—through Retail,...

Hormel Foods processes and markets branded food products—including Planters, SPAM, Jennie-O, and Skippy—through Retail, Foodservice, and International segments, generating more than $12 billion in annual revenue. Walmart represented 15.6% of consolidated gross sales in fiscal 2025, with the top five customers accounting for approximately 38%; the company employs approximately 20,000 people, with over 90% in the United States.

Related stocks: DAR (Darling Ingredients Inc.) · HLF (Herbalife Ltd.) · FLO (Flowers Foods, Inc.) · MZTI (The Marzetti Company) · JBS (JBS N.V.)
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