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 $25.19 (market cap $13.91B), while Merck & Co., Inc. trades at $126.19 (market cap $307.25B). The key difference: Merck & Co., Inc. is far larger — about 22.1× Hormel Foods Corp's market cap, and Hormel Foods Corp pays the higher dividend (4.63%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HRL | MRK | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.91B | $307.25B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Health |
52-Week High | $29.52 | $129.52 |
52-Week Low | $19.74 | $77.60 |
Enterprise Value | $15.91B | $350.66B |
Dividend Yield | 4.63% | 2.73% |
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
No Aura AI signal available yet.
Merck (MRK) trades at $126.27, down 0.96% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and strong fundamentals including a net income margin of 13.59% and ROE of 18.97%. Recent earnings beats and the acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals for approximately $6.7 billion highlight strategic growth initiatives. The stock is supported by a consensus analyst price target of $137.30, indicating potential upside from current levels.
The outlook for Merck is positive, driven by robust profitability, strategic acquisitions, and analyst confidence. Key risks include rising debt levels, with debt-to-asset ratio increasing to 36.06% in 2025, and competitive pressures in the oncology space. Investors should weigh strong cash flow generation against execution risks in integrating recent acquisitions.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
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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 →
