MKC vs HRL vs KHC Stock Comparison

Mccormick, Hormel Foods and Kraft Heinz Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MKC Mccormick & Co Inc
$48.13 -2.0% 1M -28.6% 1Y
Market cap
$12.93B
P/E
8.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.69B
Div. yield
0.04%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
5 wins
HRL Hormel Foods Corp /De/
$21.05 +5.7% 1M -11.4% 1Y
Market cap
$11.52B
P/E
33.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.15B
Div. yield
0.06%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
1 win
KHC Kraft Heinz Co
$24.78 +4.1% 1M -2.5% 1Y
Market cap
$29.28B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$24.90B
Div. yield
–
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Kraft Heinz leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Kraft Heinz 6, Mccormick 5, Hormel Foods 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMKCHRLKHCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $12.93B $11.52B $29.28B KHC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 8.7x 33.6x -8.6x MKC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.4x 15.0x 11.8x KHC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.2% +0.7% -1.6% MKC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 19.4% 2.8% -13.6% MKC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.0% 3.5% -5.0% MKC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.6x 1.8x -7.5x KHC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.04% 0.06% 0.00% HRL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -28.6% -11.4% -2.5% KHC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -9.8%/yr -12.9%/yr -7.4%/yr KHC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.4% 30.0% 27.8% KHC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 72/100 49/100 52/100 MKC

Percentile Scorecard

MKCHRLKHC

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

AxisMKCHRLKHC
Valuation 61 #18 of 45 66 #16 of 45 59 #19 of 45
Growth 83 #8 of 42 27 #31 of 42 46 #23 of 42
Profitability 92 #4 of 40 49 #21 of 40 41 #24 of 40
Financial Health 52 #23 of 47 74 #13 of 47 57 #21 of 47
Shareholder Returns 70 #10 of 31 30 #22 of 31 57 #14 of 31
Overall 72 49 52
  • MKC ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • HRL ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • KHC ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMKCHRLKHCSPY
1 month -2.0%+5.7%+4.1% -1.0%
3 months -3.6%-16.8%-3.5% +2.9%
6 months -6.6%-2.3%+12.9% +6.4%
Year to date -29.3%-11.2%+2.2% +11.4%
1 year -28.6%-11.4%-2.5% +13.1%
3 years -22.7%-32.0%-21.9% +79.4%
3 years, per year -8.2%-12.1%-7.9% +21.5%
5 years -40.4%-49.9%-31.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year -9.8%-12.9%-7.4% +10.9%
10 years +2.9%-44.2%-71.8% +255.2%
10 years, per year +0.3%-5.7%-11.9% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureMKCHRLKHCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.4%30.0%27.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.4%29.8%28.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.34-0.18-0.10 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.91-0.38-0.09 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -57.7%-65.0%-52.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -32.8%-20.6%-10.3% -2.5%
52-week high $71.65$26.51$27.62 $779.14
52-week low $44.15$19.20$21.21 $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.

MultipleMKCHRLKHC
P/E now vs peer median 8.7xmedian 20.7x 33.8xmedian 20.7x -8.7xmedian 20.7x
P/S now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 0.7x 1.0xmedian 0.7x 1.2xmedian 0.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.5xmedian 12.4x 12.6xmedian 12.4x -21.0xmedian 12.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.0xmedian 14.0x 14.8xmedian 14.0x 7.7xmedian 14.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 1.5x 1.5xmedian 1.5x 0.8xmedian 1.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.27median 0.42 -1.25median 0.42 0.19median 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 monthsMKCHRLKHC
Revenue $7.69B $12.15B $24.90B
Gross profit $3.00B $1.90B $8.31B
Operating income $1.03B $573.89M -$3.18B
Net income $1.51B $342.71M -$3.40B
Free cash flow $925.90M $780.87M $3.82B
EPS (diluted) $5.53 $0.62 $-2.86
Cash & equivalents $331.10M $839.64M $2.42B
Total debt $5.02B $11.43B $82.54B
Shares (diluted) 269.40M 551.07M 1.19B
Enterprise value $12.00B $8.18B $15.70B

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
MetricMKCHRLKHC
P/E 8.7x 33.8x -8.7x
P/FCF 14.0x 14.8x 7.7x
P/Operating cash flow 11.4x 10.6x 6.4x
P/S 1.7x 1.0x 1.2x
P/B 1.7x 1.5x 0.8x
P/Tangible book 4.9x 1.8x 7.8x
EV/EBITDA 13.5x 12.6x -21.0x
EV/EBIT 17.1x 23.6x -14.4x
EV/Revenue 2.3x 1.1x 1.8x
EV/FCF 19.1x 17.4x 12.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.5x 12.4x 9.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.27 -1.25 0.19

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMKCHRLKHC
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.2% 0.7% -1.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.2% -0.1% -2.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 15.7% -3.2% -4.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.4% -2.5% -1.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) -3.2% -43.2% 54.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.5% -21.1% -39.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 93.3% -54.6% 35.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 32.7% -26.9% -45.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 91.5% -54.6% 35.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 32.2% -27.0% -46.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 29.8% 17.3% 5.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 2.4% -0.3% 12.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 41.3% 24.4% 9.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.9% -2.5% 18.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMKCHRLKHC
Gross margin 39.1% 15.7% 33.4%
EBITDA margin 17.0% 8.9% -8.7%
Operating margin 13.4% 4.7% -12.8%
Pretax margin 10.8% 4.3% -14.7%
Net margin 19.4% 2.8% -13.6%
FCF margin 12.0% 6.4% 15.3%
Operating cash flow margin 14.8% 9.0% 18.6%
Return on equity 19.0% 4.3% -8.7%
Return on assets 8.7% 2.6% -4.4%
Return on invested capital 6.0% 3.5% -5.0%
Return on capital employed 8.5% 5.0% -4.6%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.9x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.8x 3.2x -1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.2% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMKCHRLKHC
Debt / assets 30.1% 21.5% 26.0%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.4x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.6x 1.8x -7.5x
Debt / FCF 5.4x 3.7x 5.0x
Liabilities / assets 54.4% 40.9% 50.6%
Equity / assets 45.6% 59.1% 49.4%
Interest coverage 4.6x 7.3x -4.7x
Current ratio 0.7x 1.9x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.9x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.5x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 1.82 3.27 0.51

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMKCHRLKHC
Dividend yield 4.0% 5.5% 6.5%
Net buyback yield -0.1% – 0.1%
Shareholder yield 3.9% 5.5% 6.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 33.6% 187.0% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 54.8% 82.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 6.9% 1.9% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 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.

ConsensusMKCHRLKHC
Forward P/E 16.4xFY2026 15.0xFY2026 11.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.93FY2026 $1.40FY2026 $2.10FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -2.3%FY2026 +2.2%FY2026 -19.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.9% +17.9% -7.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $7.53BFY2026 $11.68BFY2026 $23.67BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.1%FY2026 -3.5%FY2026 -5.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.6% +2.2% -1.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMKCHRLKHC
Held by institutions 88.9% 43.8% 90.1%
Institutions holding 948 622 1,114
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.8% -4.0% +7.1%
Institutions buying 478 323 624
Institutions selling 342 230 312
Buyers to sellers 1.40 1.40 2.00

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.

MKCHRLKHC
MKC 1.00 0.35 0.54
HRL 0.35 1.00 0.40
KHC 0.54 0.40 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MKC, HRL and KHC?

Kraft Heinz (KHC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mccormick (MKC) $12.93B, Hormel Foods (HRL) $11.52B, Kraft Heinz (KHC) $29.28B.

Which stock is cheaper, MKC, HRL and KHC?

Mccormick (MKC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mccormick (MKC) 8.7x, Hormel Foods (HRL) 33.6x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -8.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kraft Heinz (KHC) is cheapest (Mccormick (MKC) 16.4x, Hormel Foods (HRL) 15.0x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 11.8x). 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: Mccormick (MKC) +13.2%, Hormel Foods (HRL) +0.7%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -1.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mccormick (MKC) has the highest net margin (Mccormick (MKC) 19.4%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 2.8%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -13.6%). On return on invested capital, Mccormick (MKC) leads (Mccormick (MKC) 6.0%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 3.5%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -5.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kraft Heinz (KHC) returned the most: Mccormick (MKC) -28.6%, Hormel Foods (HRL) -11.4%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -2.5%. Over five years, Kraft Heinz (KHC) compounded fastest (Mccormick (MKC) -9.8%/yr, Hormel Foods (HRL) -12.9%/yr, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -7.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Hormel Foods (HRL) has the highest dividend yield: Mccormick (MKC) 0.04%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 0.06%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 0.00%. Kraft Heinz (KHC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kraft Heinz (KHC) has been the steadiest (Mccormick (MKC) 31.4%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 30.0%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 27.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 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.