Compare Hormel Foods Corp (HRL) vs Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Price & Performance
Price performance (Past 24H)
Key statistics
Key statistics
Hormel Foods Corp vs Merck & Co., Inc. — how do they compare? Hormel Foods Corp trades at $19.23 (market cap $10.69B), while Merck & Co., Inc. trades at $145.76 (market cap $351.28B). The key difference: Merck & Co., Inc. is far larger — about 32.9× Hormel Foods Corp's market cap, and Hormel Foods Corp pays the higher dividend (6.02%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Hormel Foods Corp for 99 Days and Merck & Co., Inc. for 98 Days on average.
| HRL | MRK | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $10.69B | $351.28B |
Volume | 10,041,387 | 7,969,665 |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Health |
52-Week High | $26.50 | $156.43 |
52-Week Low | $19.42 | $82.49 |
Typical Hold Time | 99 Days | 98 Days |
Enterprise Value | $12.67B | $398.04B |
Dividend Yield | 6.02% | 2.39% |
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Hormel Foods (HRL) trades at $19.23, down 1.64% on the day, with a bearish technical outlook despite recent earnings beats. The company maintains a P/E of 31.32 and P/S of 0.88, with net income margin at 2.82%. Recent $1.06B Brakebush acquisition aims to expand foodservice presence, while dividend consistency remains a key investor focus with 60 consecutive years of increases.
Outlook remains cautious with mixed analyst sentiment (20% buy, 57% hold) and a $24.25 consensus target offering 26% upside. Risks include margin pressure, acquisition integration challenges, and declining dividend growth rates. The stock presents value potential but requires monitoring of operational execution amid competitive pressures.
Merck (MRK) trades at $144.96, up 1.52% today, with a bearish technical signal despite recent earnings beats. The stock shows strong profitability with a 72.97% gross margin and 28.07% net income margin for 2025, though its P/E ratio of 113.9 indicates high valuation. Recent news highlights Merck's acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals to bolster its oncology pipeline, reflecting strategic growth initiatives amid competitive pressures.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus is bullish with a $158.78 price target, but technical indicators and a high P/E suggest near-term caution. Key risks include integration challenges from acquisitions and macroeconomic headwinds affecting pharmaceutical R&D investment. Revenue growth and pipeline execution remain critical for sustained upside.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Investor sentiment on Pluang
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
Investor sentiment on Pluang
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
About Hormel Foods Corp
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 →About Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck makes pharmaceutical products to treat several conditions in a number of therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic disease, cancer, and infections. Within cancer, the firm's immuno-oncology platform is growing as a major contributor to overall sales. The company also has a substantial vaccine business, with treatments to prevent hepatitis B and pediatric diseases as well as HPV and shingles. Additionally, Merck sells animal health-related drugs. From a geographical perspective, just under half of the firm's sales are generated in the United States.
Read more on MRK →
