Hormel Foods Corp vs Ross Stores, Inc. — how do they compare? Hormel Foods Corp trades at $24.45 (market cap $13.37B), while Ross Stores, Inc. trades at $248.26 (market cap $80.78B). The key difference: Ross Stores, Inc. is far larger — about 6× Hormel Foods Corp's market cap, and Hormel Foods Corp pays the higher dividend (4.81%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HRL | ROST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.37B | $80.78B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $29.25 | $255.23 |
52-Week Low | $19.74 | $144.67 |
Enterprise Value | $15.37B | $81.37B |
Dividend Yield | 4.81% | 0.71% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Hormel Foods (HRL) trades at $24.23, down 1.92% over 24 hours, amid a bearish technical signal. The stock shows consistent earnings beats with Q1 2026 EPS of $0.40 surpassing the $0.3544 estimate. Revenue for 2025 was $12.11B, though net income margin compressed to 3.82%. Recent corporate developments include the appointment of John Ghingo as CEO and the sale of its CERATTI business in Brazil.
HRL presents a mixed outlook with a defensive profile as a consumer staple, supported by a 4.6% dividend yield. However, margin pressures and a bearish technical trend pose near-term risks. The consensus price target of $26.33 implies modest upside, but investor sentiment remains cautious given high hold ratings.
Ross Stores (ROST) trades at $248.48, down 2.49% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages and strong support near $247. The company reported robust earnings beats in recent quarters, with Q2 2026 results expected on August 20, 2026. Revenue grew to $21.13B in 2025, and net income reached $2.09B, reflecting a 9.74% margin. Expansion continues with 47 new stores opened in mid-2026, signaling growth momentum.
ROST offers solid growth potential with high ROE of 38.98% and analyst consensus favoring a buy rating (63.83% of 47 analysts), targeting $259.00. Risks include elevated P/E of 35.17 and sensitivity to consumer spending shifts. The stock's proximity to its 52-week high suggests cautious optimism, but execution on store expansions and margin maintenance are key for sustained upside.
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 →