HRL vs KHC vs LW Stock Comparison

Hormel Foods, Kraft Heinz and Lamb Weston Holdings Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
HRL Hormel Foods Corp /De/
$20.62 +3.3% 1M -12.8% 1Y
Market cap
$11.35B
P/E
33.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.15B
Div. yield
5.64%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
KHC Kraft Heinz Co
$23.88 +1.4% 1M -6.4% 1Y
Market cap
$28.32B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$24.90B
Div. yield
6.70%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
7 wins
LW Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
$53.52 +24.0% 1M -18.4% 1Y
Market cap
$7.37B
P/E
28.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.62B
Div. yield
2.82%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Kraft Heinz leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Kraft Heinz 7, Lamb Weston Holdings 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionHRLKHCLWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.35B $28.32B $7.37B KHC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.1x -8.3x 28.9x LW
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.7x 11.4x 17.4x KHC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +0.7% -1.6% +2.6% LW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.8% -13.6% 3.8% LW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.5% -5.0% 6.4% LW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.8x -7.5x 4.1x KHC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 5.64% 6.70% 2.82% KHC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -12.8% -6.4% -18.4% KHC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -13.4%/yr -7.8%/yr -1.1%/yr LW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.0% 27.9% 45.5% KHC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 53/100 47/100 KHC

Percentile Scorecard

HRLKHCLW

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisHRLKHCLW
Valuation 68 #15 of 45 61 #18 of 45 55 #21 of 45
Growth 27 #31 of 42 49 #22 of 42 34 #28 of 42
Profitability 49 #21 of 40 44 #23 of 40 72 #12 of 40
Financial Health 74 #13 of 47 57 #21 of 47 35 #31 of 47
Shareholder Returns 30 #22 of 31 57 #14 of 31 40 #19 of 31
Overall 50 53 47
  • HRL ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • KHC ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • LW ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodHRLKHCLWSPY
1 month +3.3%+1.4%+24.0% +0.9%
3 months -20.1%-13.5%-0.8% +5.9%
6 months -1.2%+6.5%+24.4% +8.5%
Year to date -13.0%-1.5%+27.8% +13.3%
1 year -12.8%-6.4%-18.4% +12.4%
3 years -34.3%-24.0%-39.8% +88.1%
3 years, per year -13.1%-8.8%-15.6% +23.5%
5 years -51.3%-33.5%-5.2% +68.2%
5 years, per year -13.4%-7.8%-1.1% +11.0%
10 years -46.0%-72.9%— +263.4%
10 years, per year -6.0%-12.2%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureHRLKHCLWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.0%27.9%45.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.8%28.7%54.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.18-0.120.22 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.43-0.23-0.40 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -65.0%-52.1%-66.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -22.2%-13.5%-18.4% -0.9%
52-week high $26.51$27.62$65.57 $779.14
52-week low $19.20$21.21$38.48 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleHRLKHCLW
P/E now vs peer median 33.1xmedian 22.2x -8.3xmedian 22.2x 28.9xmedian 22.2x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 0.7x 1.1xmedian 0.7x 1.1xmedian 0.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.4xmedian 12.2x -20.5xmedian 12.2x 12.1xmedian 12.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 13.4x 7.4xmedian 13.4x 18.3xmedian 13.4x
P/B now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 1.6x 0.8xmedian 1.6x 4.1xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median -1.23median 0.56 0.18median 0.56 -0.81median 0.56

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsHRLKHCLW
Revenue $12.15B $24.90B $6.62B
Gross profit $1.90B $8.31B $1.28B
Operating income $573.89M -$3.18B $516.80M
Net income $342.71M -$3.40B $254.80M
Free cash flow $780.87M $3.82B $403.80M
EPS (diluted) $0.62 $-2.86 $1.85
Cash & equivalents $839.64M $2.42B $166.30M
Total debt $2.86B $19.00B $3.93B
Shares (diluted) 551.07M 1.19B 138.10M
Enterprise value $8.03B $14.85B $7.00B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricHRLKHCLW
P/E 33.1x -8.3x 28.9x
P/FCF 14.5x 7.4x 18.3x
P/Operating cash flow 10.4x 6.1x 8.9x
P/S 0.9x 1.1x 1.1x
P/B 1.4x 0.8x 4.1x
P/Tangible book 1.8x 7.6x 4.3x
EV/EBITDA 12.4x -20.5x 12.1x
EV/EBIT 23.2x -14.1x 21.5x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 1.8x 1.7x
EV/FCF 17.1x 11.7x 27.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.2x 9.7x 13.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.23 0.18 -0.81

Growth

14 metrics
MetricHRLKHCLW
Revenue growth (1Y) 0.7% -1.6% 2.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -0.1% -2.8% 4.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -3.2% -4.3% -7.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -2.5% -1.1% -8.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) -43.2% 54.1% -15.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -21.1% -39.1% -21.0%
Net income growth (1Y) -54.6% 35.5% -13.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -26.9% -45.4% -36.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -54.6% 35.6% -12.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -27.0% -46.1% -35.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 17.3% 5.0% -7.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -0.3% 12.3% -3.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 24.4% 9.2% -17.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.5% 18.8% 205.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricHRLKHCLW
Gross margin 15.7% 33.4% 19.4%
EBITDA margin 8.9% -8.7% 13.9%
Operating margin 4.7% -12.8% 7.8%
Pretax margin 4.3% -14.7% 5.1%
Net margin 2.8% -13.6% 3.8%
FCF margin 6.4% 15.3% 6.1%
Operating cash flow margin 9.0% 18.6% 12.5%
Return on equity 4.3% -8.7% 13.2%
Return on assets 2.6% -4.4% 3.3%
Return on invested capital 3.5% -5.0% 6.4%
Return on capital employed 5.0% -4.6% 8.7%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.3x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.2x -1.4x 3.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% 0.4% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricHRLKHCLW
Debt / assets 21.5% 26.0% 53.6%
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.5x 2.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.8x -7.5x 4.1x
Debt / FCF 3.7x 5.0x 9.7x
Liabilities / assets 40.9% 50.6% 75.3%
Equity / assets 59.1% 49.4% 24.7%
Interest coverage 7.3x -4.7x –
Current ratio 1.9x 1.1x 1.5x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.6x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.3x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 3.24 0.49 2.60

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHRLKHCLW
Dividend yield 5.6% 6.7% 2.8%
Net buyback yield – 0.1% 1.5%
Shareholder yield 5.6% 6.8% 4.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 187.0% – 81.6%
Payout ratio (FCF) 82.1% – 51.5%
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.9% – 0.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 3.1% – 11.1%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusHRLKHCLW
Forward P/E 14.7xFY2026 11.4xFY2026 17.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.40FY2026 $2.10FY2026 $3.07FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.2%FY2026 -19.2%FY2026 +2.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +17.9% -7.1% +13.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $11.68BFY2026 $23.68BFY2026 $6.42BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -3.5%FY2026 -5.1%FY2026 -2.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.2% -1.2% -1.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersHRLKHCLW
Held by institutions 43.8% 90.1% 93.7%
Institutions holding 622 1,114 557
Change in shares held, QoQ -4.0% +7.1% +1.0%
Institutions buying 323 624 266
Institutions selling 230 312 190
Buyers to sellers 1.40 2.00 1.40

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

HRLKHCLW
HRL 1.00 0.37 0.28
KHC 0.37 1.00 0.30
LW 0.28 0.30 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HRL, KHC and LW?

Kraft Heinz (KHC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Hormel Foods (HRL) $11.35B, Kraft Heinz (KHC) $28.32B, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) $7.37B.

Which stock is cheaper, HRL, KHC and LW?

Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Hormel Foods (HRL) 33.1x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -8.3x, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 28.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kraft Heinz (KHC) is cheapest (Hormel Foods (HRL) 14.7x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 11.4x, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 17.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Hormel Foods (HRL) +0.7%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -1.6%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) +2.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) has the highest net margin (Hormel Foods (HRL) 2.8%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -13.6%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 3.8%). On return on invested capital, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) leads (Hormel Foods (HRL) 3.5%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -5.0%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 6.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kraft Heinz (KHC) returned the most: Hormel Foods (HRL) -12.8%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -6.4%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) -18.4%. Over five years, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) compounded fastest (Hormel Foods (HRL) -13.4%/yr, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -7.8%/yr, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) -1.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kraft Heinz (KHC) has the highest dividend yield: Hormel Foods (HRL) 5.64%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 6.70%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 2.82%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kraft Heinz (KHC) has been the steadiest (Hormel Foods (HRL) 30.0%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 27.9%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 45.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, HRL, KHC and LW?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Kraft Heinz (KHC) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.