HRL vs SFD: Hormel Foods and Smithfield Foods compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- Hormel Foods is the larger company, worth $10.8B, about 1.4 times Smithfield Foods.
- Smithfield Foods grew revenue faster over the last year (-2.3% vs -2.4%).
- Smithfield Foods keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (8.6% vs 4.7%).
- On earnings, Smithfield Foods is the cheaper stock (7.6x vs 22.1x).
- Hormel Foods's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 5% a year, against -3% for Smithfield Foods (reverse DCF).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | HRL | SFD |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $10.8B | $7.7B |
| Share price | $19.19 | $18.61 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $12.1B | $15.5B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $534M | $718M |
| Revenue growth, last year | -2.4% | -2.3% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +1.5% | +0.7% |
| Operating margin | 4.7% | 8.6% |
| Net margin | 2.8% | 6.8% |
| Return on equity | 4.4% | 15.1% |
| P/E (trailing) | 22.1x | 7.58x |
| Price / free cash flow | 20.3x | 10.7x |
| EV / EBITDA | 14.7x | 5.09x |
| FCF growth the price implies | 5.2% | -3.3% |
| Dividend yield | 5.9% | 5.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.69x | 0.72x |
| Fundamental grade | D | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 2 | 2 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 3 | 0 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
Hormel Foods
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $11.4B | $770M | 9.9% |
| 2022 | $12.5B | $856M | 10.5% |
| 2023 | $12.1B | $778M | 8.9% |
| 2024 | $11.9B | $1.0B | 9.0% |
| 2025 | $12.1B | $534M | 5.9% |
Smithfield Foods
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $14.4B | — | 5.5% |
| 2022 | $16.2B | $183M | 6.9% |
| 2023 | $14.6B | $335M | -0.38% |
| 2024 | $14.1B | $566M | 7.9% |
| 2025 | $15.5B | $718M | 8.3% |
Where the revenue comes from
Hormel Foods · by segments, 2025
Retail$7.5B62%
Foodservice$3.9B33%
International$709M6%
Smithfield Foods · by segments, 2025
Packaged Meats$8.8B56%
Fresh Pork$5.0B32%
Hog Production$1.2B8%
Other$528M3%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open HRL in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, Hormel Foods or Smithfield Foods?
Hormel Foods (HRL), at $10.8B against $7.7B.
Is HRL or SFD cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Smithfield Foods (7.58x) is cheaper than Hormel Foods (22.1x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, HRL or SFD?
Smithfield Foods: revenue grew -2.3% over the last year, against -2.4%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.