HRL vs POST Stock Comparison

Hormel Foods and Post Holdings Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
HRL Hormel Foods Corp /De/
$20.95 +6.3% 1M -12.1% 1Y
Market cap
$11.51B
P/E
33.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.15B
Div. yield
0.06%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
4 wins
POST Post Holdings, Inc.
$80.48 +10.0% 1M -26.4% 1Y
Market cap
$3.58B
P/E
12.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.41B
Div. yield
–
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
7 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionHRLPOSTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.51B $3.58B HRL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.6x 12.2x POST
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.0x 10.9x POST
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +0.7% +6.2% POST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.8% 3.5% POST
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.5% 5.6% POST
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 5.3x HRL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.06% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -12.1% -26.4% HRL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -13.1%/yr +3.9%/yr POST
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.0% 32.1% HRL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 71/100 POST

Percentile Scorecard

HRLPOST

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

AxisHRLPOST
Valuation 66 #16 of 45 80 #10 of 45
Growth 27 #31 of 42 76 #11 of 42
Profitability 49 #21 of 40 69 #13 of 40
Financial Health 74 #13 of 47 33 #32 of 47
Shareholder Returns 30 #22 of 31 100 #1 of 31
Overall 49 71
  • HRL ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • POST ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodHRLPOSTSPY
1 month +6.3%+10.0% -0.8%
3 months -19.6%-11.8% +3.5%
6 months -2.4%-22.5% +7.0%
Year to date -11.6%-18.7% +12.2%
1 year -12.1%-26.4% +13.0%
3 years -33.3%-0.2% +86.3%
3 years, per year -12.6%-0.1% +23.1%
5 years -50.4%+20.9% +68.6%
5 years, per year -13.1%+3.9% +11.0%
10 years -45.0%+57.7% +258.0%
10 years, per year -5.8%+4.7% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureHRLPOSTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.0%32.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.8%33.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.18-0.11 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.40-0.82 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -65.0%-39.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -21.0%-29.8% -1.8%
52-week high $26.51$114.61 $779.14
52-week low $19.20$72.50 $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.

MultipleHRLPOST
P/E now vs peer median 33.7xmedian 20.5x 12.4xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 0.8x 0.4xmedian 0.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.5xmedian 12.3x 7.9xmedian 12.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.8xmedian 14.0x 6.4xmedian 14.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 1.4x 1.1xmedian 1.4x
PEG now vs peer median -1.25median 0.42 1.77median 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 monthsHRLPOST
Revenue $12.15B $8.41B
Gross profit $1.90B $2.42B
Operating income $573.89M $808.00M
Net income $342.71M $293.10M
Free cash flow $780.87M $553.10M
EPS (diluted) $0.62 $5.71
Cash & equivalents $839.64M $265.60M
Total debt $2.86B $7.63B
Shares (diluted) 551.07M 51.30M
Enterprise value $8.18B $2.59B

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
MetricHRLPOST
P/E 33.7x 12.4x
P/FCF 14.8x 6.4x
P/Operating cash flow 10.6x 3.6x
P/S 0.9x 0.4x
P/B 1.5x 1.1x
P/Tangible book 1.8x 11.8x
EV/EBITDA 12.5x 7.9x
EV/EBIT 23.6x 13.5x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 1.3x
EV/FCF 17.3x 19.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.4x 11.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.25 1.77

Growth

14 metrics
MetricHRLPOST
Revenue growth (1Y) 0.7% 6.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -0.1% 8.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -3.2% 4.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -2.5% 12.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) -43.2% -1.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -21.1% 11.8%
Net income growth (1Y) -54.6% -20.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -26.9% -2.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -54.6% -2.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -27.0% 7.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 17.3% 6.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -0.3% 15.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 24.4% 27.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.5% 15.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricHRLPOST
Gross margin 15.7% 28.8%
EBITDA margin 8.9% 16.4%
Operating margin 4.7% 9.6%
Pretax margin 4.3% 4.7%
Net margin 2.8% 3.5%
FCF margin 6.4% 6.6%
Operating cash flow margin 9.0% 11.8%
Return on equity 4.3% 9.3%
Return on assets 2.6% 2.3%
Return on invested capital 3.5% 5.6%
Return on capital employed 5.0% 6.8%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.2x 3.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricHRLPOST
Debt / assets 21.5% 59.4%
Debt / equity 0.4x 2.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 5.3x
Debt / FCF 3.7x 13.8x
Liabilities / assets 40.9% 76.0%
Equity / assets 59.1% 24.0%
Interest coverage 7.3x 1.9x
Current ratio 1.9x 1.9x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.26 1.42

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHRLPOST
Dividend yield 5.6% –
Net buyback yield – 33.7%
Shareholder yield 5.6% 33.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 187.0% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 82.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.9% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 3.1% –

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.

ConsensusHRLPOST
Forward P/E 15.0xFY2026 10.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.40FY2026 $7.40FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.2%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +17.9% -6.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $11.68BFY2026 $7.73BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -3.5%FY2026 -5.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.2% +8.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersHRLPOST
Held by institutions 43.8% 100.0%
Institutions holding 622 418
Change in shares held, QoQ -4.0% -0.3%
Institutions buying 323 177
Institutions selling 230 178
Buyers to sellers 1.40 0.99

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.

HRLPOST
HRL 1.00 0.23
POST 0.23 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HRL and POST?

Hormel Foods (HRL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Hormel Foods (HRL) $11.51B, Post Holdings (POST) $3.58B.

Which stock is cheaper, HRL and POST?

Post Holdings (POST) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Hormel Foods (HRL) 33.6x, Post Holdings (POST) 12.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Post Holdings (POST) is cheapest (Hormel Foods (HRL) 15.0x, Post Holdings (POST) 10.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Post Holdings (POST) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Hormel Foods (HRL) +0.7%, Post Holdings (POST) +6.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Post Holdings (POST) has the highest net margin (Hormel Foods (HRL) 2.8%, Post Holdings (POST) 3.5%). On return on invested capital, Post Holdings (POST) leads (Hormel Foods (HRL) 3.5%, Post Holdings (POST) 5.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Hormel Foods (HRL) returned the most: Hormel Foods (HRL) -12.1%, Post Holdings (POST) -26.4%. Over five years, Post Holdings (POST) compounded fastest (Hormel Foods (HRL) -13.1%/yr, Post Holdings (POST) +3.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Hormel Foods (HRL) 0.06%, Post Holdings (POST) 0.00%. Post Holdings (POST) 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%, Post Holdings (POST) 32.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do HRL and POST move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.23, a weak relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, HRL and POST?

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