Ecolab Inc. vs Hormel Foods Corp — how do they compare? Ecolab Inc. trades at $273.3 (market cap $76.06B), while Hormel Foods Corp trades at $25.72 (market cap $13.84B). The key difference: Ecolab Inc. is far larger — about 5.5× Hormel Foods Corp's market cap, and Hormel Foods Corp pays the higher dividend (4.65%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ECL | HRL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $76.06B | $13.84B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $308.35 | $29.91 |
52-Week Low | $245.73 | $19.74 |
Enterprise Value | $84.81B | $15.84B |
Dividend Yield | 1.08% | 4.65% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
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Hormel Foods (HRL) trades at $24.80, up 1.39% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and recent earnings beats. The stock shows a P/E of 29.59 and net margin of 3.82%, while analyst consensus is mixed with a $26.33 price target. Recent business moves include selling its Brazilian Ceratti operations to streamline international focus, as reported by PRNewsWire on June 29, 2026.
The outlook presents a stable dividend play with 60 consecutive years of increases, but risks include margin pressure and competitive headwinds. Upside is supported by valuation near multi-year lows and consistent cash flow, while downside stems from modest growth and profit margin compression observed in 2025 financials.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Ecolab produces and markets cleaning and sanitation products for the hospitality, healthcare, and industrial markets. The firm is the global market share leader in this category with a wide array of products and services, including dish and laundry washing systems, pest control, and infection control products. The company has a strong hold on the U.S. market and is looking to increase its profitability abroad. Additionally, Ecolab serves customers in water, manufacturing, and life sciences end markets, selling customized solutions.
Read more on ECL →Hormel Foods is a protein-focused branded food company. Its brands include its namesake Hormel, Spam, Jennie-O, Dinty Moore, Applegate, Wholly Guacamole, and Skippy. The vast majority of the company's revenue is U.S.-based: 64% U.S. retail, 28% U.S. food service, and 8% international. By product type, in fiscal 2021, 23% of revenue was shelf-stable foods, 18% was poultry (branded and commodity), 55% was other perishable food, and 3% was other, primarily nutritional products. The company holds the number-one market position in shelf-stable meat, shelf-stable ready meals, pepperoni, natural/organic deli meat, and guacamole and the number-two position in turkey, bacon, chilled ready meals, and peanut butter.
Read more on HRL →