Hormel Foods (HRL) Q2 2026 earnings — TrendMatrix coverage
Reported
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. How we score · Full disclosure
Key numbers
- Adjusted EPS
- $0.37
- Estimate
- $0.35
- Surprise
- +4.6%
- Revenue (period 2026-07-26)
- $2.96B
- Score at report (before → after)
- 4.5 → 4.5/10
Revenue source: xbrl.
How the report landed
Hormel Foods (HRL) beat the $0.35 estimate with adjusted EPS of $0.37 — a clear 4.6% upside surprise. TrendMatrix's engine moved from Buy (Wait) (4.5/10) to Hold at 4.5/10 after the report.
Coverage in the report window
- BNP Paribas Maintains Neutral on Hormel Foods, Lowers Price Target to $26 — benzinga, 2026-08-28
- Nvidia's Best Day Since April 2025, Cybersecurity Stocks Go Vertical: Stock Market Today — benzinga, 2026-08-27
- Meat Processor Hormel Says Consumers Remain Strained As Inflation and Fuel Costs Pile Up — benzinga, 2026-08-27
Where TrendMatrix's rating stands now
TrendMatrix currently rates HRL Sell at 4.4/10.
4 of the last 4 quarters beat the estimate; this quarter's +4.6% surprise compares with a +7.4% four-quarter average. Next scheduled report: 2026-12-03.
What supports the rating
- Sector modifier (Consumer Defensive): +0.8
- Strong earnings beat streak (4/4)
What argues against it
- Thin upside margin: 7.6%
- V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.1)
- Weak overall score: 4.4/10
This section and the ones below it reflect TrendMatrix’s latest engine read — they update after the report date and are not frozen to it.
The levels TrendMatrix's engine tracks
- Current price
- $20.46
- Price target
- $22.02
- Stop
- $19.60
- Upside to target
- +7.6%
- Reward-to-risk
- 0.9:1
The stock trades at 31.5× trailing but 12.9× forward earnings — consensus estimates already build in a substantial earnings recovery.
Model outputs from TrendMatrix’s engine as of 2026-10-16 — shown for context, not personalized investment advice.
HRL at TrendMatrix's latest read
Defensive staples are judged on margin resilience: pricing power against input costs matters more here than top-line drama.
- Industry
- Packaged Foods
- Market cap
- $11.11B
- P/E (fwd)
- 12.9
- P/E (ttm)
- 31.5
- 52-week range
- $18.96–$26.60
- Off 52-week high
- 23.1%
- RSI (14)
- 63
- Volume vs avg
- 0.27×
- Score today
- 4.4/10