Hormel Foods Corp vs Ross Stores, Inc. — how do they compare? Hormel Foods Corp trades at $25.01 (market cap $13.91B), while Ross Stores, Inc. trades at $234.56 (market cap $75.63B). The key difference: Ross Stores, Inc. 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 | ROST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.91B | $75.63B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $29.52 | $240.13 |
52-Week Low | $19.74 | $134.02 |
Enterprise Value | $15.91B | $76.23B |
Dividend Yield | 4.63% | 0.75% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Hormel Foods (HRL) trades at $25.31, down 0.33% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook and consistent earnings beats. The stock shows a P/E of 29.87 and net income margin of 3.82%, supported by a recent dividend of $0.29. Revenue for 2025 was $12.11B, though net income declined to $478.20M. Analysts maintain a mixed consensus with a $26.33 price target, while the company focuses on portfolio streamlining, such as the sale of its Ceratti business in Brazil (PRNewsWire, 2026-06-29).
HRL offers a stable dividend yield and is near multi-year lows, presenting a value opportunity amid sector weakness. Risks include margin pressure from input costs and competitive threats in the consumer staples space. Institutional sentiment is cautious with 57% hold ratings, but technical indicators suggest potential upside if earnings momentum continues.
Ross Stores (ROST) trades at $235.36, up 0.87% with strong technical and fundamental momentum. The stock shows bullish moving averages and recent earnings beats, with Q1 2026 EPS of $2.02 exceeding expectations by 17%. Revenue growth accelerated to $21.13B in 2025, while net income margin improved to 9.74%. Analyst sentiment remains positive with a $259 consensus target, supported by robust store expansion and customer acquisition trends noted in recent media coverage.
Outlook is favorable given consistent earnings outperformance and high ROE of 38.98%, though valuation multiples like P/E of 32.6 suggest premium pricing. Key risks include consumer spending sensitivity and competitive pressures in off-price retail. Institutional ownership trends and technical support near $232 provide a cushion for near-term stability.
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 →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 →