Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Purchases 238,027 Shares of Hormel Foods Corporation $HRL

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) by 513.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 284,416 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 238,027 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.05% of Hormel Foods worth $6,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of Hormel Foods in the first quarter worth approximately $310,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 1.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 57,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,779,000 after acquiring an additional 993 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 40.8% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 24,583 shares of the company’s stock worth $761,000 after acquiring an additional 7,129 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 214.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 3,226 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 76.5% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 103,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,134,000 after acquiring an additional 44,906 shares during the period. 40.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hormel Foods Stock Performance

HRL opened at $21.28 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of $11.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.91, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.33. The company’s 50 day moving average is $21.48 and its 200 day moving average is $22.96. Hormel Foods Corporation has a 12-month low of $19.70 and a 12-month high of $31.86.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Hormel Foods had a net margin of 4.03% and a return on equity of 9.38%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. Hormel Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.430-1.510 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hormel Foods Corporation will post 1.41 EPS for the current year.

Hormel Foods Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Monday, July 13th will be issued a $0.2925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 13th. This represents a $1.17 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.5%. Hormel Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 131.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $23.00 price target (down from $28.00) on shares of Hormel Foods in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $25.00 price target on shares of Hormel Foods in a research note on Thursday. Stephens set a $22.00 price target on shares of Hormel Foods and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Hormel Foods in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hormel Foods has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.00.

About Hormel Foods

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.