Hormel Foods Corp vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Hormel Foods Corp trades at $24.19 (market cap $13.37B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $536.39 (market cap $23.27B). The key difference: Ulta Beauty Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and Hormel Foods Corp pays a 4.81% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HRL | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.37B | $23.27B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $29.25 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $19.74 | $450.75 |
Enterprise Value | $15.37B | $25.35B |
Dividend Yield | 4.81% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Hormel Foods (HRL) trades at $24.705, down 1.26% on the day, with a bearish technical signal and neutral oscillators. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $0.40, beating expectations, but net income margin declined to 3.82% in 2025. Recent news includes the appointment of John Ghingo as CEO and the sale of its Brazilian CERATTI business, signaling strategic refocusing.
Outlook is mixed: strong dividend yield and consistent earnings beats support income investors, but margin pressures and bearish technicals pose near-term risks. Analyst consensus is 'Hold' with a $26.33 price target, suggesting limited upside. Macroeconomic headwinds in consumer staples may challenge growth.
ULTA Beauty trades at $548.66, down 2.92% on the day, with strong technical momentum indicated by bullish moving averages and key support at $542. Fundamentally, the company maintains robust profitability with 39.33% gross margins and 47.45% ROE, though recent earnings showed mixed results with a Q4 miss. Revenue growth has been consistent, reaching $11.3B in 2025, while analyst sentiment remains positive with 56.53% buy ratings.
The outlook for ULTA remains favorable with a consensus price target of $618.29 offering 12.7% upside potential. Key opportunities include omnichannel expansion and digital growth initiatives, while risks involve margin pressure from rising costs and competitive retail landscape. Institutional ownership trends show continued confidence with recent position increases by major funds.
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 →With more than 1,300 stores and a partnership with Target, Ulta Beauty is the largest specialized beauty retailer in the U.S. The firm offers makeup (43% of 2021 sales), fragrances, skin care, and hair care products (20% of 2021 sales), and bath and body items. Ulta offers private-label products and merchandise from more than 500 vendors. It also offers salon services, including hair, makeup, skin, and brow services, in all stores. Most Ulta stores are approximately 10,000 square feet and are in suburban strip centers. Ulta was founded in 1990 and is based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
Read more on ULTA →