LW vs MKC vs HRL Stock Comparison

Lamb Weston Holdings, Mccormick and Hormel Foods Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LW Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
$53.64 +23.0% 1M -19.2% 1Y
Market cap
$7.39B
P/E
29.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.62B
Div. yield
2.82%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
2 wins
MKC Mccormick & Co Inc
$48.00 +0.1% 1M -28.2% 1Y
Market cap
$12.93B
P/E
8.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.69B
Div. yield
4.00%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
5 wins
HRL Hormel Foods Corp /De/
$20.95 +6.3% 1M -12.1% 1Y
Market cap
$11.53B
P/E
33.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.15B
Div. yield
5.55%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mccormick leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Mccormick 5, Hormel Foods 5, Lamb Weston Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionLWMKCHRLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $7.39B $12.93B $11.53B MKC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.0x 8.7x 33.7x MKC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.5x 16.4x 15.0x HRL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +2.6% +13.2% +0.7% MKC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.8% 19.4% 2.8% MKC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.4% 6.0% 3.5% LW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 4.1x 3.6x 1.8x HRL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.82% 4.00% 5.55% HRL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -19.2% -28.2% -12.1% HRL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -1.4%/yr -9.8%/yr -13.1%/yr LW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 45.6% 31.4% 30.0% HRL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 47/100 72/100 49/100 MKC

Percentile Scorecard

LWMKCHRL

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

AxisLWMKCHRL
Valuation 52 #22 of 45 61 #18 of 45 66 #16 of 45
Growth 37 #27 of 42 83 #8 of 42 27 #31 of 42
Profitability 72 #12 of 40 92 #4 of 40 49 #21 of 40
Financial Health 35 #31 of 47 52 #23 of 47 74 #13 of 47
Shareholder Returns 40 #19 of 31 70 #10 of 31 30 #22 of 31
Overall 47 72 49
  • LW ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • MKC ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • HRL ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodLWMKCHRLSPY
1 month +23.0%+0.1%+6.3% -0.8%
3 months +0.9%-5.2%-19.6% +3.5%
6 months +23.8%-4.8%-2.4% +7.0%
Year to date +28.0%-29.5%-11.6% +12.2%
1 year -19.2%-28.2%-12.1% +13.0%
3 years -39.6%-23.8%-33.3% +86.3%
3 years, per year -15.5%-8.7%-12.6% +23.1%
5 years -6.6%-40.4%-50.4% +68.6%
5 years, per year -1.4%-9.8%-13.1% +11.0%
10 years —+0.6%-45.0% +258.0%
10 years, per year —+0.1%-5.8% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureLWMKCHRLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 45.6%31.4%30.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 54.4%34.4%29.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.22-0.34-0.18 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.42-0.90-0.40 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -66.6%-57.7%-65.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -19.4%-33.0%-21.0% -1.8%
52-week high $66.57$71.65$26.51 $779.14
52-week low $38.48$44.15$19.20 $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.

MultipleLWMKCHRL
P/E now vs peer median 29.0xmedian 20.5x 8.7xmedian 20.5x 33.7xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 1.1xmedian 0.8x 1.7xmedian 0.8x 0.9xmedian 0.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.1xmedian 12.3x 13.5xmedian 12.3x 12.5xmedian 12.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 18.3xmedian 14.0x 14.0xmedian 14.0x 14.8xmedian 14.0x
P/B now vs peer median 4.1xmedian 1.4x 1.7xmedian 1.4x 1.5xmedian 1.4x
PEG now vs peer median -0.81median 0.42 0.27median 0.42 -1.25median 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 monthsLWMKCHRL
Revenue $6.62B $7.69B $12.15B
Gross profit $1.28B $3.00B $1.90B
Operating income $516.80M $1.03B $573.89M
Net income $254.80M $1.51B $342.71M
Free cash flow $403.80M $925.90M $780.87M
EPS (diluted) $1.85 $5.53 $0.62
Cash & equivalents $166.30M $331.10M $839.64M
Total debt $3.93B $5.02B $2.86B
Shares (diluted) 138.10M 269.40M 551.07M
Enterprise value $7.02B $12.57B $8.21B

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
MetricLWMKCHRL
P/E 29.0x 8.7x 33.7x
P/FCF 18.3x 14.0x 14.8x
P/Operating cash flow 9.0x 11.3x 10.6x
P/S 1.1x 1.7x 0.9x
P/B 4.1x 1.7x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 4.3x 4.9x 1.8x
EV/EBITDA 12.1x 13.5x 12.5x
EV/EBIT 21.6x 17.1x 23.6x
EV/Revenue 1.7x 2.3x 1.1x
EV/FCF 27.6x 19.0x 17.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.5x 15.4x 12.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.81 0.27 -1.25

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLWMKCHRL
Revenue growth (1Y) 2.6% 13.2% 0.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.0% 5.2% -0.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -7.3% 15.7% -3.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -8.2% 7.4% -2.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -15.2% -3.2% -43.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -21.0% 3.5% -21.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -13.4% 93.3% -54.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -36.9% 32.7% -26.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -12.3% 91.5% -54.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -35.6% 32.2% -27.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -7.2% 29.8% 17.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.0% 2.4% -0.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -17.8% 41.3% 24.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 205.1% 5.9% -2.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLWMKCHRL
Gross margin 19.4% 39.1% 15.7%
EBITDA margin 13.9% 17.0% 8.9%
Operating margin 7.8% 13.4% 4.7%
Pretax margin 5.1% 10.8% 4.3%
Net margin 3.8% 19.4% 2.8%
FCF margin 6.1% 12.0% 6.4%
Operating cash flow margin 12.5% 14.8% 9.0%
Return on equity 13.2% 19.0% 4.3%
Return on assets 3.3% 8.7% 2.6%
Return on invested capital 6.4% 6.0% 3.5%
Return on capital employed 8.7% 8.5% 5.0%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.5x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.2x 0.8x 3.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 0.6% 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLWMKCHRL
Debt / assets 53.6% 30.1% 21.5%
Debt / equity 2.2x 0.7x 0.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 4.1x 3.6x 1.8x
Debt / FCF 9.7x 5.4x 3.7x
Liabilities / assets 75.3% 54.4% 40.9%
Equity / assets 24.7% 45.6% 59.1%
Interest coverage – 4.6x 7.3x
Current ratio 1.5x 0.7x 1.9x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.3x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.1x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 2.60 1.82 3.26

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLWMKCHRL
Dividend yield 2.8% 4.0% 5.6%
Net buyback yield 1.5% -0.1% –
Shareholder yield 4.3% 3.9% 5.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 81.6% 33.6% 187.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) 51.5% 54.8% 82.1%
Dividend growth (1Y) 0.5% 6.9% 1.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 7.1% 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.

ConsensusLWMKCHRL
Forward P/E 17.5xFY2026 16.4xFY2026 15.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.07FY2026 $2.93FY2026 $1.40FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.0%FY2026 -2.3%FY2026 +2.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.0% +11.9% +17.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.42BFY2026 $7.53BFY2026 $11.68BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -2.9%FY2026 +10.1%FY2026 -3.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -1.3% +12.6% +2.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLWMKCHRL
Held by institutions 93.7% 88.9% 43.8%
Institutions holding 557 948 622
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.0% +4.8% -4.0%
Institutions buying 266 478 323
Institutions selling 190 342 230
Buyers to sellers 1.40 1.40 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.

LWMKCHRL
LW 1.00 0.31 0.29
MKC 0.31 1.00 0.35
HRL 0.29 0.35 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LW, MKC and HRL?

Mccormick (MKC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) $7.39B, Mccormick (MKC) $12.93B, Hormel Foods (HRL) $11.53B.

Which stock is cheaper, LW, MKC and HRL?

Mccormick (MKC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 29.0x, Mccormick (MKC) 8.7x, Hormel Foods (HRL) 33.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Hormel Foods (HRL) is cheapest (Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 17.5x, Mccormick (MKC) 16.4x, Hormel Foods (HRL) 15.0x). 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: Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) +2.6%, Mccormick (MKC) +13.2%, Hormel Foods (HRL) +0.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mccormick (MKC) has the highest net margin (Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 3.8%, Mccormick (MKC) 19.4%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 2.8%). On return on invested capital, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) leads (Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 6.4%, Mccormick (MKC) 6.0%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 3.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Hormel Foods (HRL) returned the most: Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) -19.2%, Mccormick (MKC) -28.2%, Hormel Foods (HRL) -12.1%. Over five years, Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) compounded fastest (Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) -1.4%/yr, Mccormick (MKC) -9.8%/yr, Hormel Foods (HRL) -13.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Hormel Foods (HRL) has the highest dividend yield: Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 2.82%, Mccormick (MKC) 4.00%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 5.55%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Hormel Foods (HRL) has been the steadiest (Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) 45.6%, Mccormick (MKC) 31.4%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 30.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 5. 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.