HRL vs PPC vs LW Stock Comparison

Hormel Foods, Pilgrims Pride and Lamb Weston 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
PPC Pilgrims Pride Corp
$27.33 -1.8% 1M -27.1% 1Y
Market cap
$6.45B
P/E
11.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$18.44B
Div. yield
–
Meat and Poultry Consumer Staples
6 wins
LW Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
$53.64 +23.0% 1M -19.2% 1Y
Market cap
$7.40B
P/E
29.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.62B
Div. yield
0.03%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Pilgrims Pride leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Pilgrims Pride 6, Hormel Foods 4, Lamb Weston Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionHRLPPCLWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.51B $6.45B $7.40B HRL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.6x 11.8x 29.0x PPC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.0x 12.8x 17.5x PPC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +0.7% +1.4% +2.6% LW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.8% 3.0% 3.8% LW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.5% 9.5% 6.4% PPC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 1.8x 4.1x PPC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.06% 0.00% 0.03% HRL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -12.1% -27.1% -19.2% HRL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -13.1%/yr -1.1%/yr -1.4%/yr PPC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.0% 35.4% 45.6% HRL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 67/100 47/100 PPC

Percentile Scorecard

HRLPPCLW

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

AxisHRLPPCLW
Valuation 66 #16 of 45 73 #10 of 34 52 #22 of 45
Growth 27 #31 of 42 63 #12 of 31 37 #27 of 42
Profitability 49 #21 of 40 79 #7 of 29 72 #12 of 40
Financial Health 74 #13 of 47 53 #18 of 37 35 #31 of 47
Shareholder Returns 30 #22 of 31 – 40 #19 of 31
Overall 49 67 47
  • HRL ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • PPC ranked among 38 companies in Agribusiness
  • 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

PeriodHRLPPCLWSPY
1 month +6.3%-1.8%+23.0% -0.8%
3 months -19.6%-6.4%+0.9% +3.5%
6 months -2.4%-17.5%+23.8% +7.0%
Year to date -11.6%-29.9%+28.0% +12.2%
1 year -12.1%-27.1%-19.2% +13.0%
3 years -33.3%+11.4%-39.6% +86.3%
3 years, per year -12.6%+3.7%-15.5% +23.1%
5 years -50.4%-5.2%-6.6% +68.6%
5 years, per year -13.1%-1.1%-1.4% +11.0%
10 years -45.0%+32.2%— +258.0%
10 years, per year -5.8%+2.8%— +13.6%

Risk

MeasureHRLPPCLWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.0%35.4%45.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.8%36.1%54.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.18-0.080.22 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.40-0.77-0.42 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -65.0%-55.2%-66.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -21.0%-37.5%-19.4% -1.8%
52-week high $26.51$43.76$66.57 $779.14
52-week low $19.20$25.20$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.

MultipleHRLPPCLW
P/E now vs peer median 33.7xmedian 20.5x 11.9xmedian 15.2x 29.0xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 0.8x 0.4xmedian 0.5x 1.1xmedian 0.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.5xmedian 12.3x 6.4xmedian 9.0x 12.1xmedian 12.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.8xmedian 14.0x 24.1xmedian 15.1x 18.3xmedian 14.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 1.4x 1.7xmedian 1.1x 4.1xmedian 1.4x
PEG now vs peer median -1.25median 0.42 0.25median 1.27 -0.81median 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 monthsHRLPPCLW
Revenue $12.15B $18.44B $6.62B
Gross profit $1.90B $1.77B $1.28B
Operating income $573.89M $925.22M $516.80M
Net income $342.71M $545.82M $254.80M
Free cash flow $780.87M $270.19M $403.80M
EPS (diluted) $0.62 $2.28 $1.85
Cash & equivalents $839.64M $388.84M $166.30M
Total debt $2.86B $2.86B $3.93B
Shares (diluted) 551.07M 238.84M 138.10M
Enterprise value $8.18B $4.26B $7.03B

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
MetricHRLPPCLW
P/E 33.7x 11.9x 29.0x
P/FCF 14.8x 24.1x 18.3x
P/Operating cash flow 10.6x 5.3x 9.0x
P/S 0.9x 0.4x 1.1x
P/B 1.5x 1.7x 4.1x
P/Tangible book 1.8x 2.2x 4.3x
EV/EBITDA 12.5x 6.4x 12.1x
EV/EBIT 23.6x 9.7x 21.6x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 0.5x 1.7x
EV/FCF 17.3x 33.2x 27.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.4x 7.4x 13.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.25 0.25 -0.81

Growth

14 metrics
MetricHRLPPCLW
Revenue growth (1Y) 0.7% 1.4% 2.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -0.1% 2.6% 4.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -3.2% -29.3% -7.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -2.5% 19.3% -8.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) -43.2% -46.6% -15.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -21.1% 33.0% -21.0%
Net income growth (1Y) -54.6% -55.9% -13.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -26.9% 47.4% -36.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -54.6% -56.0% -12.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -27.0% 47.5% -35.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 17.3% -24.7% -7.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -0.3% 53.5% -3.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 24.4% -35.0% -17.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.5% -6.8% 205.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricHRLPPCLW
Gross margin 15.7% 9.6% 19.4%
EBITDA margin 8.9% 7.6% 13.9%
Operating margin 4.7% 5.0% 7.8%
Pretax margin 4.3% 4.3% 5.1%
Net margin 2.8% 3.0% 3.8%
FCF margin 6.4% 1.5% 6.1%
Operating cash flow margin 9.0% 6.6% 12.5%
Return on equity 4.3% 14.6% 13.2%
Return on assets 2.6% 5.4% 3.3%
Return on invested capital 3.5% 9.5% 6.4%
Return on capital employed 5.0% 12.6% 8.7%
Asset turnover 0.9x 1.8x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.2x 2.2x 3.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% 0.1% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricHRLPPCLW
Debt / assets 21.5% 28.5% 53.6%
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.8x 2.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 1.8x 4.1x
Debt / FCF 3.7x 10.6x 9.7x
Liabilities / assets 40.9% 62.5% 75.3%
Equity / assets 59.1% 37.5% 24.7%
Interest coverage 7.3x 5.6x –
Current ratio 1.9x 1.4x 1.5x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.5x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.1x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 3.26 3.21 2.60

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHRLPPCLW
Dividend yield 5.6% – 2.8%
Net buyback yield – – 1.5%
Shareholder yield 5.6% 0.0% 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.

ConsensusHRLPPCLW
Forward P/E 15.0xFY2026 12.8xFY2026 17.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.40FY2026 $2.14FY2026 $3.07FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.2%FY2026 -58.6%FY2026 +2.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +17.9% +20.1% +13.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $11.68BFY2026 $17.77BFY2026 $6.42BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -3.5%FY2026 -3.9%FY2026 -2.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.2% +10.5% -1.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersHRLPPCLW
Held by institutions 43.8% 20.6% 93.7%
Institutions holding 622 339 557
Change in shares held, QoQ -4.0% +9.8% +1.0%
Institutions buying 323 201 266
Institutions selling 230 106 190
Buyers to sellers 1.40 1.90 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.

HRLPPCLW
HRL 1.00 0.30 0.29
PPC 0.30 1.00 0.22
LW 0.29 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HRL, PPC and LW?

Hormel Foods (HRL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Hormel Foods (HRL) $11.51B, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) $6.45B, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) $7.40B.

Which stock is cheaper, HRL, PPC and LW?

Pilgrims Pride (PPC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Hormel Foods (HRL) 33.6x, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) 11.8x, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 29.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) is cheapest (Hormel Foods (HRL) 15.0x, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) 12.8x, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 17.5x). 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%, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) +1.4%, 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%, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) 3.0%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 3.8%). On return on invested capital, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) leads (Hormel Foods (HRL) 3.5%, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) 9.5%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 6.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Hormel Foods (HRL) returned the most: Hormel Foods (HRL) -12.1%, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) -27.1%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) -19.2%. Over five years, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) compounded fastest (Hormel Foods (HRL) -13.1%/yr, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) -1.1%/yr, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) -1.4%/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%, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) 0.00%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 0.03%. Pilgrims Pride (PPC) 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%, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) 35.4%, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 45.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, HRL, PPC 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, Pilgrims Pride (PPC) leads on 6. 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.