Hormel Foods Corp vs Ross Stores, Inc. — how do they compare? Hormel Foods Corp trades at $19.23 (market cap $10.69B), while Ross Stores, Inc. trades at $223.11 (market cap $71.94B). The key difference: Ross Stores, Inc. is far larger — about 6.7× 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 Ross Stores, Inc. for 48 Days on average.
| HRL | ROST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $10.69B | $71.94B |
Volume | 10,041,387 | 2,002,519 |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $26.50 | $255.23 |
52-Week Low | $19.42 | $147.71 |
Typical Hold Time | 99 Days | 48 Days |
Enterprise Value | $12.67B | $72.39B |
Dividend Yield | 6.02% | 0.79% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Hormel Foods (HRL) trades at $19.55, down 1.66% with bearish technical signals. The stock shows mixed fundamentals with a P/E of 31.32 and net margin of 2.82%, while recent quarterly earnings have consistently beaten expectations. The company's $1.06B Brakebush acquisition aims to expand foodservice presence, though cash flow trends show volatility with 2025 net cash flow negative $71M.
Outlook remains cautious with analyst consensus at Hold (57%) and $24.25 price target suggesting 24% upside. Key risks include declining profit margins, high payout ratios, and integration challenges from recent acquisition. The 60-year dividend streak provides stability but raises sustainability concerns amid shrinking raises.
Ross Stores (ROST) trades at $222.41, down 1.38% amid broader market weakness. The stock shows strong fundamentals with consistent earnings beats (Q4 2025-Q2 2026) and robust profitability metrics including 42.63% ROE and 10.85% net margin. Technical indicators signal bearish momentum with the price near key support at $221, while analyst consensus remains bullish with a $274.14 price target. Recent news highlights store expansion initiatives and strong closeout supply positioning the company for growth.
ROST presents a compelling investment case with strong operational performance and analyst confidence, though near-term technical weakness and competitive pressures warrant caution. The 16% upside to consensus target offers potential reward, but investors should monitor execution of expansion plans and consumer spending trends given the bearish technical signals.
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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 →Ross Stores is a leading American off-price apparel and home fashion retailer, operating over 1,920 stores (at the end of fiscal 2021) across the Ross Dress for Less and dd's Discounts banners. Ross offers a variety of name-brand products and targets undercutting conventional retailers' regular prices by 20%-70%. The company uses an opportunistic, flexible merchandising approach
Read more on ROST →