SJM vs HRL vs CAG Stock Comparison

J M Smucker, Hormel Foods and Conagra Brands Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
SJM J M SMUCKER Co
$125.50 +4.0% 1M +19.7% 1Y
Market cap
$13.41B
P/E
58.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.16B
Div. yield
3.52%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
7 wins
HRL Hormel Foods Corp /De/
$20.62 +3.3% 1M -12.8% 1Y
Market cap
$11.35B
P/E
33.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.15B
Div. yield
5.64%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
3 wins
CAG Conagra Brands Inc.
$13.93 -1.6% 1M -23.0% 1Y
Market cap
$6.65B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$11.24B
Div. yield
8.76%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

J M Smucker leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (J M Smucker 7, Hormel Foods 3, Conagra Brands 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSJMHRLCAGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $13.41B $11.35B $6.65B SJM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 58.4x 33.1x -3.5x HRL
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.1x 14.7x 9.3x CAG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.1% +0.7% -1.8% SJM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.5% 2.8% -17.0% HRL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.6% 3.5% -12.3% SJM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 4.9x 1.8x 3.9x HRL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 3.52% 5.64% 8.76% CAG
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +19.7% -12.8% -23.0% SJM
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +0.4%/yr -13.4%/yr -15.4%/yr SJM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.7% 30.0% 32.0% SJM
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 50/100 50/100 SJM

Percentile Scorecard

SJMHRLCAG

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

AxisSJMHRLCAG
Valuation 59 #19 of 45 68 #15 of 45 84 #8 of 45
Growth 95 #3 of 42 27 #31 of 42 5 #40 of 42
Profitability 80 #9 of 40 49 #21 of 40 41 #24 of 40
Financial Health 28 #34 of 47 74 #13 of 47 37 #30 of 47
Shareholder Returns 27 #23 of 31 30 #22 of 31 83 #6 of 31
Overall 58 50 50
  • SJM ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • HRL ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • CAG ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodSJMHRLCAGSPY
1 month +4.0%+3.3%-1.6% +0.9%
3 months -0.7%-20.1%-10.1% +5.9%
6 months +29.6%-1.2%-2.1% +8.5%
Year to date +28.3%-13.0%-19.5% +13.3%
1 year +19.7%-12.8%-23.0% +12.4%
3 years +11.3%-34.3%-48.8% +88.1%
3 years, per year +3.6%-13.1%-20.0% +23.5%
5 years +2.1%-51.3%-56.7% +68.2%
5 years, per year +0.4%-13.4%-15.4% +11.0%
10 years -4.9%-46.0%-62.8% +263.4%
10 years, per year -0.5%-6.0%-9.4% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureSJMHRLCAGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.7%30.0%32.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.1%29.8%31.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.31-0.18-0.32 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.69-0.43-0.72 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.9%-65.0%-69.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -5.9%-22.2%-30.4% -0.9%
52-week high $133.40$26.51$20.02 $779.14
52-week low $89.53$19.20$12.58 $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.

MultipleSJMHRLCAG
P/E now vs peer median 58.4xmedian 22.2x 33.1xmedian 22.2x -3.5xmedian 22.2x
P/S now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 0.7x 0.9xmedian 0.7x 0.6xmedian 0.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.6xmedian 12.2x 12.4xmedian 12.2x 7.4xmedian 12.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 8.4xmedian 13.4x 14.5xmedian 13.4x 5.8xmedian 13.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 1.6x 1.4xmedian 1.6x 1.0xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median 0.29median 0.56 -1.23median 0.56 0.06median 0.56

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 monthsSJMHRLCAG
Revenue $9.16B $12.15B $11.24B
Gross profit $3.54B $1.90B $2.68B
Operating income $826.20M $573.89M -$1.71B
Net income $229.50M $342.71M -$1.91B
Free cash flow $1.59B $780.87M $1.15B
EPS (diluted) $2.14 $0.62 $-3.97
Cash & equivalents $43.20M $839.64M $371.60M
Total debt $6.74B $2.86B $7.76B
Shares (diluted) 107.10M 551.07M 480.00M
Enterprise value $13.19B $8.03B $5.96B

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
MetricSJMHRLCAG
P/E 58.4x 33.1x -3.5x
P/FCF 8.4x 14.5x 5.8x
P/Operating cash flow 7.0x 10.4x 5.2x
P/S 1.5x 0.9x 0.6x
P/B 2.3x 1.4x 1.0x
P/Tangible book 106.6x 1.8x 1.5x
EV/EBITDA 14.6x 12.4x 7.4x
EV/EBIT 24.3x 23.2x -8.2x
EV/Revenue 2.2x 1.1x 1.2x
EV/FCF 12.7x 17.1x 12.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 10.5x 12.2x 11.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.29 -1.23 0.06

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSJMHRLCAG
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.1% 0.7% -1.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.7% -0.1% -2.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 15.6% -3.2% -7.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.8% -2.5% -7.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 184.5% -43.2% -230.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 43.2% -21.1% -39.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 115.7% -54.6% -324.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 147.2% -26.9% -55.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 131.3% -54.6% -324.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 200.5% -27.0% -55.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 86.0% 17.3% -17.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.6% -0.3% 2.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 136.2% 24.4% -17.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 20.3% -2.5% 13.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSJMHRLCAG
Gross margin 38.7% 15.7% 23.8%
EBITDA margin 15.0% 8.9% 16.8%
Operating margin 9.0% 4.7% -15.2%
Pretax margin 4.6% 4.3% -16.7%
Net margin 2.5% 2.8% -17.0%
FCF margin 17.3% 6.4% 10.3%
Operating cash flow margin 20.9% 9.0% 11.4%
Return on equity 4.1% 4.3% -29.9%
Return on assets 1.4% 2.6% -10.9%
Return on invested capital 3.6% 3.5% -12.3%
Return on capital employed 5.9% 5.0% -11.8%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.9x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 8.3x 3.2x -0.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.2% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSJMHRLCAG
Debt / assets 41.6% 21.5% 43.8%
Debt / equity 1.2x 0.4x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 4.9x 1.8x 3.9x
Debt / FCF 4.2x 3.7x 6.7x
Liabilities / assets 64.5% 40.9% 63.8%
Equity / assets 35.5% 59.1% 36.2%
Interest coverage – 7.3x –
Current ratio 0.9x 1.9x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.9x 0.3x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.5x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 1.49 3.24 1.03

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSJMHRLCAG
Dividend yield 3.5% 5.6% 8.8%
Net buyback yield 0.0% – 0.9%
Shareholder yield 3.6% 5.6% 9.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 203.5% 187.0% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 29.4% 82.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 2.1% 1.9% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 2.8% 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.

ConsensusSJMHRLCAG
Forward P/E 11.1xFY2026 14.7xFY2026 9.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.33FY2026 $1.40FY2026 $1.50FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +23.8%FY2026 +2.2%FY2026 -12.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -8.3% +17.9% -2.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $9.52BFY2026 $11.68BFY2026 $10.36BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +5.2%FY2026 -3.5%FY2026 -8.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -2.7% +2.2% +1.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSJMHRLCAG
Held by institutions 43.8% 43.8% 88.4%
Institutions holding 888 622 785
Change in shares held, QoQ -2.8% -4.0% +3.9%
Institutions buying 494 323 486
Institutions selling 260 230 207
Buyers to sellers 1.90 1.40 2.35

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.

SJMHRLCAG
SJM 1.00 0.36 0.55
HRL 0.36 1.00 0.44
CAG 0.55 0.44 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, SJM, HRL and CAG?

J M Smucker (SJM) is the largest by market capitalisation: J M Smucker (SJM) $13.41B, Hormel Foods (HRL) $11.35B, Conagra Brands (CAG) $6.65B.

Which stock is cheaper, SJM, HRL and CAG?

Hormel Foods (HRL) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (J M Smucker (SJM) 58.4x, Hormel Foods (HRL) 33.1x, Conagra Brands (CAG) -3.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Conagra Brands (CAG) is cheapest (J M Smucker (SJM) 11.1x, Hormel Foods (HRL) 14.7x, Conagra Brands (CAG) 9.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

J M Smucker (SJM) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: J M Smucker (SJM) +5.1%, Hormel Foods (HRL) +0.7%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -1.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Hormel Foods (HRL) has the highest net margin (J M Smucker (SJM) 2.5%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 2.8%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -17.0%). On return on invested capital, J M Smucker (SJM) leads (J M Smucker (SJM) 3.6%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 3.5%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -12.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year J M Smucker (SJM) returned the most: J M Smucker (SJM) +19.7%, Hormel Foods (HRL) -12.8%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -23.0%. Over five years, J M Smucker (SJM) compounded fastest (J M Smucker (SJM) +0.4%/yr, Hormel Foods (HRL) -13.4%/yr, Conagra Brands (CAG) -15.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Conagra Brands (CAG) has the highest dividend yield: J M Smucker (SJM) 3.52%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 5.64%, Conagra Brands (CAG) 8.76%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, J M Smucker (SJM) has been the steadiest (J M Smucker (SJM) 28.7%, Hormel Foods (HRL) 30.0%, Conagra Brands (CAG) 32.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, SJM, HRL and CAG?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, J M Smucker (SJM) 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.