Hormel Foods Co. (NYSE:HRL) Stake Lessened by Yeomans Consulting Group Inc.

Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Hormel Foods Co. (NYSE:HRL) by 33.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,010 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,452 shares during the quarter. Yeomans Consulting Group Inc.’s holdings in Hormel Foods were worth $220,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Holocene Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 56.0% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 2,237,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,934,000 after buying an additional 802,816 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Hormel Foods by 86.4% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,602,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,867,000 after acquiring an additional 742,859 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,068,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $794,659,000 after purchasing an additional 617,308 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Hormel Foods by 24.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,976,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,738,000 after purchasing an additional 575,378 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 59.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,244,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,470,000 after purchasing an additional 462,283 shares in the last quarter. 40.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hormel Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HRL opened at $30.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $16.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.26. The company’s fifty day moving average is $31.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Hormel Foods Co. has a 12-month low of $28.51 and a 12-month high of $36.86.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.01). Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 10.95% and a net margin of 6.75%. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Hormel Foods Co. will post 1.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hormel Foods Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, January 13th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 13th. This is an increase from Hormel Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.75%. Hormel Foods’s payout ratio is presently 79.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hormel Foods

In related news, VP Steven J. Lykken purchased 4,904 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $32.47 per share, for a total transaction of $159,232.88. Following the acquisition, the vice president now directly owns 7,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $230,537. The trade was a 223.32 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HRL. Stephens began coverage on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $31.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas started coverage on Hormel Foods in a research note on Monday, October 21st. They set an “underperform” rating and a $28.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised Hormel Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Hormel Foods from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.17.

Hormel Foods Profile

Hormel Foods Corporation develops, processes, and distributes various meat, nuts, and other food products to retail, foodservice, deli, and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Retail, Foodservice, and International segments. The company provides various perishable products that include fresh meats, frozen items, refrigerated meal solutions, sausages, hams, guacamoles, and bacons; and shelf-stable products comprising canned luncheon meats, nut butters, snack nuts, chili, shelf-stable microwaveable meals, hash, stews, tortillas, salsas, tortilla chips, nutritional food supplements, and others.