Hormel Foods Corp vs Xylem, Inc. — how do they compare? Hormel Foods Corp trades at $24.4 (market cap $13.37B), while Xylem, Inc. trades at $122.16 (market cap $28.76B). The key difference: Xylem, Inc. is far larger — about 2.2× 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 | XYL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.37B | $28.76B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Industrials |
52-Week High | $29.25 | $152.95 |
52-Week Low | $19.74 | $106.34 |
Enterprise Value | $15.37B | $30.54B |
Dividend Yield | 4.81% | 1.4% |
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.
XYL trades at $121.59, up 0.33% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and strong quarterly earnings beats. Revenue grew to $9.04B in 2025, with net income margin expanding to 10.59%. Recent acquisitions like Cornell Pump and Roper Pump aim to strengthen its industrial water technology presence, while AI-driven demand for water-treatment equipment supports growth.
The outlook is positive, with a consensus price target of $150.43 implying 24% upside, backed by margin expansion and strategic acquisitions. Risks include execution of integration and potential revenue delays from electric metering projects, as noted in Q2 2026 results. Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans bullish, with 47.5% buy ratings.
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 →Xylem is a global leader in water technology and offers a wide range of solutions, including the transport, treatment, testing, and efficient use of water for customers in the utility, industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. Xylem was spun off from ITT in 2011. Based in Rye Brook, New York, Xylem has a presence in over 150 countries and employs 16,200. The company generated $6.2 billion in revenue and $611 million in adjusted operating income in 2021.
Read more on XYL →