POST vs KHC vs HRL Stock Comparison

Post Holdings, Kraft Heinz and Hormel Foods Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
POST Post Holdings, Inc.
$80.48 +10.0% 1M -26.4% 1Y
Market cap
$3.56B
P/E
12.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.41B
Div. yield
–
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
7 wins
KHC Kraft Heinz Co
$24.73 +4.7% 1M -2.1% 1Y
Market cap
$28.55B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$24.90B
Div. yield
–
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
4 wins
HRL Hormel Foods Corp /De/
$20.95 +6.3% 1M -12.1% 1Y
Market cap
$11.46B
P/E
33.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.15B
Div. yield
0.06%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionPOSTKHCHRLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.56B $28.55B $11.46B KHC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 12.2x -8.4x 33.4x POST
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 10.9x 11.8x 15.0x POST
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.2% -1.6% +0.7% POST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.5% -13.6% 2.8% POST
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.6% -5.0% 3.5% POST
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.3x -7.5x 1.8x KHC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.06% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -26.4% -2.1% -12.1% KHC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +3.9%/yr -7.4%/yr -13.1%/yr POST
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.1% 27.8% 30.0% KHC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 52/100 49/100 POST

Percentile Scorecard

POSTKHCHRL

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

AxisPOSTKHCHRL
Valuation 80 #10 of 45 59 #19 of 45 66 #16 of 45
Growth 76 #11 of 42 46 #23 of 42 27 #31 of 42
Profitability 69 #13 of 40 41 #24 of 40 49 #21 of 40
Financial Health 33 #32 of 47 57 #21 of 47 74 #13 of 47
Shareholder Returns 100 #1 of 31 57 #14 of 31 30 #22 of 31
Overall 71 52 49
  • POST ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • KHC 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

PeriodPOSTKHCHRLSPY
1 month +10.0%+4.7%+6.3% -0.8%
3 months -11.8%-5.7%-19.6% +3.5%
6 months -22.5%+12.8%-2.4% +7.0%
Year to date -18.7%+2.0%-11.6% +12.2%
1 year -26.4%-2.1%-12.1% +13.0%
3 years -0.2%-21.3%-33.3% +86.3%
3 years, per year -0.1%-7.7%-12.6% +23.1%
5 years +20.9%-32.1%-50.4% +68.6%
5 years, per year +3.9%-7.4%-13.1% +11.0%
10 years +57.7%-71.9%-45.0% +258.0%
10 years, per year +4.7%-11.9%-5.8% +13.6%

Risk

MeasurePOSTKHCHRLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.1%27.8%30.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 33.2%28.6%29.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.11-0.11-0.18 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.82-0.07-0.40 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.9%-52.1%-65.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -29.8%-10.5%-21.0% -1.8%
52-week high $114.61$27.62$26.51 $779.14
52-week low $72.50$21.21$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.

MultiplePOSTKHCHRL
P/E now vs peer median 12.4xmedian 20.5x -8.6xmedian 20.5x 33.7xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.4xmedian 0.8x 1.2xmedian 0.8x 0.9xmedian 0.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 7.9xmedian 12.3x -21.0xmedian 12.3x 12.5xmedian 12.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 6.4xmedian 14.0x 7.7xmedian 14.0x 14.8xmedian 14.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.1xmedian 1.4x 0.8xmedian 1.4x 1.5xmedian 1.4x
PEG now vs peer median 1.77median 0.42 0.19median 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 monthsPOSTKHCHRL
Revenue $8.41B $24.90B $12.15B
Gross profit $2.42B $8.31B $1.90B
Operating income $808.00M -$3.18B $573.89M
Net income $293.10M -$3.40B $342.71M
Free cash flow $553.10M $3.82B $780.87M
EPS (diluted) $5.71 $-2.86 $0.62
Cash & equivalents $265.60M $2.42B $839.64M
Total debt $7.63B $19.00B $2.86B
Shares (diluted) 51.30M 1.19B 551.07M
Enterprise value $2.57B $14.97B $8.12B

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
MetricPOSTKHCHRL
P/E 12.4x -8.6x 33.7x
P/FCF 6.4x 7.7x 14.8x
P/Operating cash flow 3.6x 6.3x 10.6x
P/S 0.4x 1.2x 0.9x
P/B 1.1x 0.8x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 11.8x 7.8x 1.8x
EV/EBITDA 7.9x -21.0x 12.5x
EV/EBIT 13.5x -14.4x 23.6x
EV/Revenue 1.3x 1.8x 1.1x
EV/FCF 19.7x 12.0x 17.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.0x 9.9x 12.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.77 0.19 -1.25

Growth

14 metrics
MetricPOSTKHCHRL
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.2% -1.6% 0.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.3% -2.8% -0.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.8% -4.3% -3.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.1% -1.1% -2.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -1.7% 54.1% -43.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.8% -39.1% -21.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -20.0% 35.5% -54.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -2.8% -45.4% -26.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -2.7% 35.6% -54.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 7.0% -46.1% -27.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 6.5% 5.0% 17.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 15.5% 12.3% -0.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 27.8% 9.2% 24.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 15.9% 18.8% -2.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricPOSTKHCHRL
Gross margin 28.8% 33.4% 15.7%
EBITDA margin 16.4% -8.7% 8.9%
Operating margin 9.6% -12.8% 4.7%
Pretax margin 4.7% -14.7% 4.3%
Net margin 3.5% -13.6% 2.8%
FCF margin 6.6% 15.3% 6.4%
Operating cash flow margin 11.8% 18.6% 9.0%
Return on equity 9.3% -8.7% 4.3%
Return on assets 2.3% -4.4% 2.6%
Return on invested capital 5.6% -5.0% 3.5%
Return on capital employed 6.8% -4.6% 5.0%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.3x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.4x -1.4x 3.2x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 0.4% 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricPOSTKHCHRL
Debt / assets 59.4% 26.0% 21.5%
Debt / equity 2.5x 0.5x 0.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.3x -7.5x 1.8x
Debt / FCF 13.8x 5.0x 3.7x
Liabilities / assets 76.0% 50.6% 40.9%
Equity / assets 24.0% 49.4% 59.1%
Interest coverage 1.9x -4.7x 7.3x
Current ratio 1.9x 1.1x 1.9x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.6x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 1.42 0.50 3.26

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricPOSTKHCHRL
Dividend yield – 6.5% 5.6%
Net buyback yield 33.7% 0.1% –
Shareholder yield 33.7% 6.6% 5.6%
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.

ConsensusPOSTKHCHRL
Forward P/E 10.9xFY2026 11.8xFY2026 15.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.40FY2026 $2.10FY2026 $1.40FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.4%FY2026 -19.2%FY2026 +2.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.6% -7.1% +17.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $7.73BFY2026 $23.68BFY2026 $11.68BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -5.2%FY2026 -5.1%FY2026 -3.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.9% -1.2% +2.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersPOSTKHCHRL
Held by institutions 100.0% 90.1% 43.8%
Institutions holding 418 1,114 622
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.3% +7.1% -4.0%
Institutions buying 177 624 323
Institutions selling 178 312 230
Buyers to sellers 0.99 2.00 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.

POSTKHCHRL
POST 1.00 0.34 0.23
KHC 0.34 1.00 0.40
HRL 0.23 0.40 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, POST, KHC and HRL?

Kraft Heinz (KHC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Post Holdings (POST) $3.56B, Kraft Heinz (KHC) $28.55B, Hormel Foods (HRL) $11.46B.

Which stock is cheaper, POST, KHC and HRL?

Post Holdings (POST) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Post Holdings (POST) 12.2x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -8.4x, Hormel Foods (HRL) 33.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Post Holdings (POST) is cheapest (Post Holdings (POST) 10.9x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 11.8x, 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?

Post Holdings (POST) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Post Holdings (POST) +6.2%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -1.6%, Hormel Foods (HRL) +0.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Post Holdings (POST) has the highest net margin (Post Holdings (POST) 3.5%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -13.6%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 2.8%). On return on invested capital, Post Holdings (POST) leads (Post Holdings (POST) 5.6%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -5.0%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 3.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kraft Heinz (KHC) returned the most: Post Holdings (POST) -26.4%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -2.1%, Hormel Foods (HRL) -12.1%. Over five years, Post Holdings (POST) compounded fastest (Post Holdings (POST) +3.9%/yr, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -7.4%/yr, Hormel Foods (HRL) -13.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Post Holdings (POST) 0.00%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 0.00%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 0.06%. Post Holdings (POST) and Kraft Heinz (KHC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kraft Heinz (KHC) has been the steadiest (Post Holdings (POST) 32.1%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 27.8%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 30.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, POST, KHC 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, 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.