Hormel Foods Corp vs Northrop Grumman Corporation — how do they compare? Hormel Foods Corp trades at $25.19 (market cap $13.91B), while Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $513.84 (market cap $74.42B). The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation is far larger — about 5.4× 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 | NOC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.91B | $74.42B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Industrials |
52-Week High | $29.52 | $768.02 |
52-Week Low | $19.74 | $496.02 |
Enterprise Value | $15.91B | $88.65B |
Dividend Yield | 4.63% | 1.79% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Hormel Foods (HRL) trades at $25.115, down 1.1% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages but neutral oscillators. The company reported revenue of $12.11B in 2025 with a net income margin of 3.82%, and has beaten EPS estimates for three consecutive quarters. Recent news highlights its status as a Dividend King with 60 consecutive years of dividend increases, and the sale of its Ceratti business in Brazil aims to streamline international operations.
Outlook remains cautious with modest growth projections; the stock offers a reliable dividend but faces margin pressures and competitive headwinds. Analyst consensus is mixed with a $26.33 price target, suggesting limited upside. Key risks include earnings volatility and macroeconomic impacts on consumer staples demand.
Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades at $512.29, down 1.78% amid a bearish technical signal despite strong Q2 2026 earnings that beat estimates and a record $105 billion backlog. The stock faces margin pressures but maintains solid fundamentals with a P/E of 16.43 and ROE of 28.51%. Recent news highlights raised 2026 guidance driven by robust defense demand, though the stock's decline reflects investor concerns over cost challenges.
The outlook is mixed: bullish fundamentals and analyst consensus ($655 price target) support long-term growth, but near-term risks include execution on margin targets and technical bearishness. Investment appeal hinges on defense budget tailwinds offsetting operational headwinds.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Northrop Grumman is a defense contractor that is diversified across short-cycle and long-cycle businesses. The firm's segments include aeronautics, mission systems, defense services, and space systems. The company's aerospace segment creates the fuselage for the massive F-35 program and produces various piloted and autonomous flight systems. Mission systems creates a variety of sensors and processors for defense hardware. The defense systems segment is a long-range missile manufacturer. Finally, the company's space systems segment produces various space structures, sensors, and satellites.
Read more on NOC →