POST vs SFD vs HRL Stock Comparison

Post Holdings, Smithfield Foods and Hormel Foods Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
1 more company in this comparison (SJM) Create a free account to keep reading and compare up to 10 companies.
POST Post Holdings, Inc.
$81.62 +11.1% 1M -21.7% 1Y
Market cap
$3.73B
P/E
12.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.41B
Div. yield
–
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
2 wins
SFD Smithfield Foods Inc
$18.55 -2.4% 1M -14.9% 1Y
Market cap
$7.20B
P/E
8.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$15.16B
Div. yield
–
Meat and Poultry Consumer Staples
7 wins
HRL Hormel Foods Corp /De/
$20.89 +5.2% 1M -2.8% 1Y
Market cap
$11.68B
P/E
34.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.15B
Div. yield
0.05%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Smithfield Foods leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Smithfield Foods 7, Hormel Foods 2, Post Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionPOSTSFDHRLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.73B $7.20B $11.68B HRL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 12.7x 8.0x 34.1x SFD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.0x 8.9x 14.9x SFD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.2% -0.6% +0.7% POST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.5% 5.9% 2.8% SFD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.6% 10.0% 3.5% SFD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.3x 0.6x 1.8x SFD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.05% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -21.7% -14.9% -2.8% HRL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +4.2%/yr — -13.2%/yr POST
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.0% 25.3% 28.5% SFD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 72/100 91/100 50/100 SFD

Percentile Scorecard

POSTSFDHRL

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

AxisPOSTSFDHRL
Valuation 80 #10 of 45 100 #1 of 34 68 #15 of 45
Growth 81 #9 of 42 83 #6 of 30 27 #31 of 42
Profitability 69 #13 of 40 89 #4 of 28 49 #21 of 40
Financial Health 33 #32 of 47 86 #6 of 36 74 #13 of 47
Shareholder Returns 100 #1 of 31 100 #1 of 24 30 #22 of 31
Overall 72 91 50
  • POST ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • SFD ranked among 38 companies in Agribusiness
  • 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

PeriodPOSTSFDHRLSPY
1 month +11.1%-2.4%+5.2% +0.7%
3 months -12.2%-30.2%-17.6% +3.7%
6 months -22.1%-29.4%-2.7% +7.1%
Year to date -17.6%-16.9%-11.9% +12.8%
1 year -21.7%-14.9%-2.8% +11.9%
3 years +1.1%—-34.8% +85.2%
3 years, per year +0.4%—-13.3% +22.8%
5 years +22.9%—-50.6% +67.6%
5 years, per year +4.2%—-13.2% +10.9%
10 years +62.5%—-45.3% +262.0%
10 years, per year +5.0%—-5.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasurePOSTSFDHRLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.0%25.3%28.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 33.2%27.1%26.7% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.12-0.17-0.18 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.68-0.59-0.10 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.9%-38.4%-65.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -28.8%-37.3%-21.2% -1.2%
52-week high $114.61$29.59$26.51 $779.14
52-week low $72.50$18.22$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.

MultiplePOSTSFDHRL
P/E now vs peer median 12.6xmedian 18.4x 8.1xmedian 15.9x 33.6xmedian 18.4x
P/S now vs peer median 0.4xmedian 0.7x 0.5xmedian 0.4x 0.9xmedian 0.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 7.9xmedian 12.0x 5.5xmedian 8.8x 12.5xmedian 12.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 6.5xmedian 13.6x 7.9xmedian 15.9x 14.7xmedian 13.6x
P/B now vs peer median 1.2xmedian 1.6x 1.0xmedian 1.0x 1.5xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median 1.79median 0.55 —median 1.34 -1.24median 0.55

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 monthsPOSTSFDHRL
Revenue $8.41B $15.16B $12.15B
Gross profit $2.42B $1.90B $1.90B
Operating income $808.00M $1.15B $573.89M
Net income $293.10M $910.00M $342.71M
Free cash flow $553.10M $927.00M $780.87M
EPS (diluted) $5.71 $2.28 $0.62
Cash & equivalents $265.60M $1.18B $839.64M
Total debt $7.63B $2.00B $2.86B
Shares (diluted) 51.30M 394.91M 551.07M
Enterprise value $2.74B $1.75B $8.34B

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
MetricPOSTSFDHRL
P/E 12.6x 8.1x 33.6x
P/FCF 6.5x 7.9x 14.7x
P/Operating cash flow 3.6x 5.6x 10.5x
P/S 0.4x 0.5x 0.9x
P/B 1.2x 1.0x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 11.9x 1.3x 1.8x
EV/EBITDA 7.9x 5.5x 12.5x
EV/EBIT 13.6x 7.1x 23.5x
EV/Revenue 1.3x 0.5x 1.1x
EV/FCF 19.8x 8.8x 17.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.0x 6.2x 12.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.79 – -1.24

Growth

14 metrics
MetricPOSTSFDHRL
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.2% -0.6% 0.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.3% – -0.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.8% -5.8% -3.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.1% – -2.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -1.7% -6.2% -43.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.8% – -21.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -20.0% 3.8% -54.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -2.8% – -26.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -2.7% 4.1% -54.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 7.0% – -27.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 6.5% 62.1% 17.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 15.5% – -0.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 27.8% 94.3% 24.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 15.9% – -2.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricPOSTSFDHRL
Gross margin 28.8% 12.6% 15.7%
EBITDA margin 16.4% 9.8% 8.9%
Operating margin 9.6% 7.6% 4.7%
Pretax margin 4.7% 7.5% 4.3%
Net margin 3.5% 5.9% 2.8%
FCF margin 6.6% 6.1% 6.4%
Operating cash flow margin 11.8% 8.6% 9.0%
Return on equity 9.3% 13.0% 4.3%
Return on assets 2.3% 7.5% 2.6%
Return on invested capital 5.6% 10.0% 3.5%
Return on capital employed 6.8% 11.6% 5.0%
Asset turnover 0.7x 1.3x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.4x 1.4x 3.2x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% – 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricPOSTSFDHRL
Debt / assets 59.4% 16.5% 21.5%
Debt / equity 2.5x 0.3x 0.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.3x 0.6x 1.8x
Debt / FCF 13.8x 2.2x 3.7x
Liabilities / assets 76.0% 42.3% 40.9%
Equity / assets 24.0% 57.7% 59.1%
Interest coverage 1.9x 38.3x 7.3x
Current ratio 1.9x 2.4x 1.9x
Quick ratio 0.9x 1.5x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.6x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 1.43 3.17 3.26

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricPOSTSFDHRL
Dividend yield – 6.4% 5.6%
Net buyback yield 33.2% – –
Shareholder yield 33.2% 6.4% 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.

ConsensusPOSTSFDHRL
Forward P/E 11.0xFY2026 8.9xFY2026 14.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.40FY2026 $2.08FY2026 $1.40FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.4%FY2026 -18.4%FY2026 +2.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.6% +6.3% +17.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $7.73BFY2026 $14.87BFY2026 $11.68BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -5.2%FY2026 -4.3%FY2026 -3.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.9% +8.8% +2.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersPOSTSFDHRL
Held by institutions 100.0% 13.6% 43.8%
Institutions holding 419 281 623
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.3% +14.1% -4.0%
Institutions buying 177 188 324
Institutions selling 178 70 230
Buyers to sellers 0.99 2.69 1.41

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.

POSTSFDHRL
POST 1.00 0.19 0.21
SFD 0.19 1.00 0.29
HRL 0.21 0.29 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, POST, SFD and HRL?

Hormel Foods (HRL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Post Holdings (POST) $3.73B, Smithfield Foods (SFD) $7.20B, Hormel Foods (HRL) $11.68B.

Which stock is cheaper, POST, SFD and HRL?

Smithfield Foods (SFD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Post Holdings (POST) 12.7x, Smithfield Foods (SFD) 8.0x, Hormel Foods (HRL) 34.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Smithfield Foods (SFD) is cheapest (Post Holdings (POST) 11.0x, Smithfield Foods (SFD) 8.9x, Hormel Foods (HRL) 14.9x). 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: Post Holdings (POST) +6.2%, Smithfield Foods (SFD) -0.6%, Hormel Foods (HRL) +0.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Smithfield Foods (SFD) has the highest net margin (Post Holdings (POST) 3.5%, Smithfield Foods (SFD) 5.9%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 2.8%). On return on invested capital, Smithfield Foods (SFD) leads (Post Holdings (POST) 5.6%, Smithfield Foods (SFD) 10.0%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 3.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Hormel Foods (HRL) returned the most: Post Holdings (POST) -21.7%, Smithfield Foods (SFD) -14.9%, Hormel Foods (HRL) -2.8%. Over five years, Post Holdings (POST) compounded fastest (Post Holdings (POST) +4.2%/yr, Hormel Foods (HRL) -13.2%/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%, Smithfield Foods (SFD) 0.00%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 0.05%. Post Holdings (POST) and Smithfield Foods (SFD) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Smithfield Foods (SFD) has been the steadiest (Post Holdings (POST) 32.0%, Smithfield Foods (SFD) 25.3%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 28.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, POST, SFD 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, Smithfield Foods (SFD) 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.