Hormel Foods Corp vs Wendys Co — how do they compare? Hormel Foods Corp trades at $24.99 (market cap $13.91B), while Wendys Co trades at $7.75 (market cap $1.50B). The key difference: Hormel Foods Corp is far larger — about 9.3× Wendys Co's market cap, and Wendys Co pays the higher dividend (7.13%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HRL | WEN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.91B | $1.50B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $29.52 | $11.33 |
52-Week Low | $19.74 | $6.17 |
Enterprise Value | $15.91B | $5.31B |
Dividend Yield | 4.63% | 7.13% |
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.
Wendy's (WEN) trades at $7.805, up 0.58% with a bullish technical signal and recent earnings beats. The stock shows attractive valuation metrics with P/E of 10.07 and P/S of 0.68, though net margins have declined to 6.77%. Recent news highlights Project Fresh initiatives and China expansion plans, while the company maintains a $0.14 dividend payment scheduled for June 2026.
WEN presents a mixed outlook with strong valuation appeal and dividend yield offset by margin pressures and declining earnings. The stock's 28% monthly gain reflects retail investor enthusiasm, but fundamental challenges require careful monitoring of turnaround execution and competitive positioning in the crowded fast-food sector.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →