Hormel Foods Corp vs Wendys Co — how do they compare? Hormel Foods Corp trades at $24.27 (market cap $13.37B), while Wendys Co trades at $8.47 (market cap $1.44B). The key difference: Hormel Foods Corp is far larger — about 9.3× Wendys Co's market cap, and Hormel Foods Corp pays the higher dividend (4.81%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HRL | WEN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.37B | $1.44B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $29.25 | $10.68 |
52-Week Low | $19.74 | $6.17 |
Enterprise Value | $15.37B | $5.17B |
Dividend Yield | 4.81% | 3.71% |
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.
WEN trades at $8.595, up 17.74% in 24 hours, with a neutral technical signal. Recent Q2 2026 EPS of $0.18 beat expectations, but revenue trends are flat and net income margin declined to 5.72% in 2025. The company cut its dividend and withdrew 2026 guidance amid a strategic turnaround under new leadership, facing traffic declines and loss of its No. 2 U.S. burger chain position to Burger King.
Outlook is cautious; the dividend cut frees cash for restructuring, but execution risks are high. Valuation appears reasonable with a P/E of 11.44, though high debt and competitive pressures pose significant headwinds. Analyst consensus is mixed, with 62.75% hold ratings reflecting uncertainty around the turnaround plan's success.
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 →The Wendy's Company is the second-largest burger quick-service restaurant, or QSR, chain in the United States by systemwide sales, with $11.1 billion in 2021, narrowly edging Burger King ($10.3 billion) and clocking in well behind wide-moat McDonald's ($45.7 billion). After divestitures of Tim Hortons (2006) and Arby's (2011), the firm manages just the burger banner, generating sales across a footprint that spans almost 7,000 total units in 30 countries. Wendy's generates revenue from the sale of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and fries throughout its company-owned footprint, through franchise royalty and marketing fund payments remitted by its franchisees, which account for 94% of stores, and through franchise flipping and advisory fees.
Read more on WEN →