Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $19.69 and last traded at $19.7280, with a volume of 2040400 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.92.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HRL shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Hormel Foods from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on shares of Hormel Foods from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 28th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Hormel Foods from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Stephens set a $23.00 target price on shares of Hormel Foods in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $26.14.

Hormel Foods Trading Down 0.7%

The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The business’s 50-day moving average is $23.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.93. The firm has a market cap of $10.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.33.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 27th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.02. Hormel Foods had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 9.91%. The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.35 earnings per share. Hormel Foods’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Hormel Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.450-1.510 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Hormel Foods Corporation will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gary C. Bhojwani sold 20,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.51, for a total transaction of $495,102.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 32,002 shares in the company, valued at $784,369.02. The trade was a 38.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hormel Foods

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SlateStone Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 17,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Hormel Foods by 1.1% in the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,005 shares of the company’s stock valued at $968,000 after buying an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. now owns 25,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $615,000 after buying an additional 441 shares during the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 90.7% during the second quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 986 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 2.1% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 23,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $592,000 after buying an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. 40.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Hormel Foods

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) is a global food company that develops, produces and markets branded meat, prepared foods and other grocery products. Its portfolio includes SPAM luncheon meat, Hormel pepperoni, Hormel Compleats meals, Jennie-O turkey products, Applegate natural and organic foods, Columbus deli meats and Planters snack products.

The company sells products through retail grocery channels, foodservice operations and international markets. Its offerings are used by consumers, restaurants, schools, hospitals and other institutional customers, with products distributed across the United States and in selected markets worldwide.

Founded in 1891 by George A.