HRL vs MKC vs CAG Stock Comparison

Hormel Foods, Mccormick and Conagra Brands Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
HRL Hormel Foods Corp /De/
$20.95 +6.3% 1M -12.1% 1Y
Market cap
$11.43B
P/E
33.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.15B
Div. yield
0.06%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
4 wins
MKC Mccormick & Co Inc
$48.00 +0.1% 1M -28.2% 1Y
Market cap
$12.75B
P/E
8.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.69B
Div. yield
0.04%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
7 wins
CAG Conagra Brands Inc.
$14.57 +1.8% 1M -20.3% 1Y
Market cap
$6.77B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$11.24B
Div. yield
–
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mccormick leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Mccormick 7, Hormel Foods 4, Conagra Brands 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionHRLMKCCAGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.43B $12.75B $6.77B MKC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.3x 8.6x -3.6x MKC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.0x 16.4x 9.7x CAG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +0.7% +13.2% -1.8% MKC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.8% 19.4% -17.0% MKC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.5% 6.0% -12.3% MKC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 3.6x 3.9x HRL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.06% 0.04% 0.00% HRL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -12.1% -28.2% -20.3% HRL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -13.1%/yr -9.8%/yr -14.9%/yr MKC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.0% 31.4% 32.0% HRL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 72/100 48/100 MKC

Percentile Scorecard

HRLMKCCAG

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

AxisHRLMKCCAG
Valuation 66 #16 of 45 61 #18 of 45 77 #11 of 45
Growth 27 #31 of 42 83 #8 of 42 5 #40 of 42
Profitability 49 #21 of 40 92 #4 of 40 39 #25 of 40
Financial Health 74 #13 of 47 52 #23 of 47 37 #30 of 47
Shareholder Returns 30 #22 of 31 70 #10 of 31 83 #6 of 31
Overall 49 72 48
  • HRL ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • MKC ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • CAG ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodHRLMKCCAGSPY
1 month +6.3%+0.1%+1.8% -0.8%
3 months -19.6%-5.2%-4.4% +3.5%
6 months -2.4%-4.8%+3.2% +7.0%
Year to date -11.6%-29.5%-15.8% +12.2%
1 year -12.1%-28.2%-20.3% +13.0%
3 years -33.3%-23.8%-46.4% +86.3%
3 years, per year -12.6%-8.7%-18.8% +23.1%
5 years -50.4%-40.4%-55.3% +68.6%
5 years, per year -13.1%-9.8%-14.9% +11.0%
10 years -45.0%+0.6%-61.0% +258.0%
10 years, per year -5.8%+0.1%-9.0% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureHRLMKCCAGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.0%31.4%32.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.8%34.4%31.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.18-0.34-0.31 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.40-0.90-0.64 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -65.0%-57.7%-69.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -21.0%-33.0%-27.2% -1.8%
52-week high $26.51$71.65$20.02 $779.14
52-week low $19.20$44.15$12.58 $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.

MultipleHRLMKCCAG
P/E now vs peer median 33.7xmedian 20.5x 8.7xmedian 20.5x -3.7xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 0.8x 1.7xmedian 0.8x 0.6xmedian 0.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.5xmedian 12.3x 13.5xmedian 12.3x 7.6xmedian 12.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.8xmedian 14.0x 14.0xmedian 14.0x 6.0xmedian 14.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 1.4x 1.7xmedian 1.4x 1.1xmedian 1.4x
PEG now vs peer median -1.25median 0.42 0.27median 0.42 0.07median 0.42

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 monthsHRLMKCCAG
Revenue $12.15B $7.69B $11.24B
Gross profit $1.90B $3.00B $2.68B
Operating income $573.89M $1.03B -$1.71B
Net income $342.71M $1.51B -$1.91B
Free cash flow $780.87M $925.90M $1.15B
EPS (diluted) $0.62 $5.53 $-3.97
Cash & equivalents $839.64M $331.10M $371.60M
Total debt $2.86B $5.02B $7.76B
Shares (diluted) 551.07M 269.40M 480.00M
Enterprise value $8.10B $11.81B $6.08B

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
MetricHRLMKCCAG
P/E 33.7x 8.7x -3.7x
P/FCF 14.8x 14.0x 6.0x
P/Operating cash flow 10.6x 11.3x 5.4x
P/S 0.9x 1.7x 0.6x
P/B 1.5x 1.7x 1.1x
P/Tangible book 1.8x 4.9x 1.5x
EV/EBITDA 12.5x 13.5x 7.6x
EV/EBIT 23.6x 17.1x -8.4x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 2.3x 1.3x
EV/FCF 17.3x 19.0x 12.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.4x 15.4x 11.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.25 0.27 0.07

Growth

14 metrics
MetricHRLMKCCAG
Revenue growth (1Y) 0.7% 13.2% -1.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -0.1% 5.2% -2.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -3.2% 15.7% -7.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -2.5% 7.4% -7.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) -43.2% -3.2% -230.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -21.1% 3.5% -39.7%
Net income growth (1Y) -54.6% 93.3% -324.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -26.9% 32.7% -55.6%
EPS growth (1Y) -54.6% 91.5% -324.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -27.0% 32.2% -55.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 17.3% 29.8% -17.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -0.3% 2.4% 2.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 24.4% 41.3% -17.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.5% 5.9% 13.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricHRLMKCCAG
Gross margin 15.7% 39.1% 23.8%
EBITDA margin 8.9% 17.0% 16.8%
Operating margin 4.7% 13.4% -15.2%
Pretax margin 4.3% 10.8% -16.7%
Net margin 2.8% 19.4% -17.0%
FCF margin 6.4% 12.0% 10.3%
Operating cash flow margin 9.0% 14.8% 11.4%
Return on equity 4.3% 19.0% -29.9%
Return on assets 2.6% 8.7% -10.9%
Return on invested capital 3.5% 6.0% -12.3%
Return on capital employed 5.0% 8.5% -11.8%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.5x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.2x 0.8x -0.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% 0.6% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricHRLMKCCAG
Debt / assets 21.5% 30.1% 43.8%
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.7x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 3.6x 3.9x
Debt / FCF 3.7x 5.4x 6.7x
Liabilities / assets 40.9% 54.4% 63.8%
Equity / assets 59.1% 45.6% 36.2%
Interest coverage 7.3x 4.6x –
Current ratio 1.9x 0.7x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.3x 0.3x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.1x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 3.26 1.82 1.04

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHRLMKCCAG
Dividend yield 5.6% 4.0% 8.4%
Net buyback yield – -0.1% 0.8%
Shareholder yield 5.6% 3.9% 9.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 187.0% 33.6% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 82.1% 54.8% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.9% 6.9% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 3.1% 7.1% –

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.

ConsensusHRLMKCCAG
Forward P/E 15.0xFY2026 16.4xFY2026 9.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.40FY2026 $2.93FY2026 $1.50FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.2%FY2026 -2.3%FY2026 -12.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +17.9% +11.9% -2.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $11.68BFY2026 $7.53BFY2026 $10.36BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -3.5%FY2026 +10.1%FY2026 -8.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.2% +12.6% +1.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersHRLMKCCAG
Held by institutions 43.8% 88.9% 88.4%
Institutions holding 622 948 785
Change in shares held, QoQ -4.0% +4.8% +3.9%
Institutions buying 323 478 486
Institutions selling 230 342 207
Buyers to sellers 1.40 1.40 2.35

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.

HRLMKCCAG
HRL 1.00 0.35 0.46
MKC 0.35 1.00 0.58
CAG 0.46 0.58 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HRL, MKC and CAG?

Mccormick (MKC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Hormel Foods (HRL) $11.43B, Mccormick (MKC) $12.75B, Conagra Brands (CAG) $6.77B.

Which stock is cheaper, HRL, MKC and CAG?

Mccormick (MKC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Hormel Foods (HRL) 33.3x, Mccormick (MKC) 8.6x, Conagra Brands (CAG) -3.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Conagra Brands (CAG) is cheapest (Hormel Foods (HRL) 15.0x, Mccormick (MKC) 16.4x, Conagra Brands (CAG) 9.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Mccormick (MKC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Hormel Foods (HRL) +0.7%, Mccormick (MKC) +13.2%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -1.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mccormick (MKC) has the highest net margin (Hormel Foods (HRL) 2.8%, Mccormick (MKC) 19.4%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -17.0%). On return on invested capital, Mccormick (MKC) leads (Hormel Foods (HRL) 3.5%, Mccormick (MKC) 6.0%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -12.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Hormel Foods (HRL) returned the most: Hormel Foods (HRL) -12.1%, Mccormick (MKC) -28.2%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -20.3%. Over five years, Mccormick (MKC) compounded fastest (Hormel Foods (HRL) -13.1%/yr, Mccormick (MKC) -9.8%/yr, Conagra Brands (CAG) -14.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Hormel Foods (HRL) has the highest dividend yield: Hormel Foods (HRL) 0.06%, Mccormick (MKC) 0.04%, Conagra Brands (CAG) 0.00%. Conagra Brands (CAG) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Hormel Foods (HRL) has been the steadiest (Hormel Foods (HRL) 30.0%, Mccormick (MKC) 31.4%, Conagra Brands (CAG) 32.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, HRL, MKC and CAG?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mccormick (MKC) 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.