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BF.A vs. HRL: Brown-Forman vs. Hormel Foods Stock Comparison

How do Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL) both fall under the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group, but BF.A is classified in Beverages while HRL is classified in Food Products.

Company profile comparison for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
Profile ItemBF.AHRL
NameBrown-Forman Corporation Class A Common StockHormel Foods Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupFood, Beverage & TobaccoFood, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS IndustryBeveragesFood Products
GICS Sub-IndustryDistillers & VintnersPackaged Foods & Meats
Market Capitalization14.44 billion USD12.08 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMay 3, 1973March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BF.A
HRL
GSPC
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
MetricBF.AHRL
Total Return (1Y)21.31%6.06%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-17.39%-8.11%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-12.15%-9.33%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BF.A
HRL
GSPC
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
MetricBF.AHRL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)38.10%29.42%
Beta (5Y)0.260.25
Max Drawdown (5Y)-67.09%-59.13%
Avg. Volume (3M)138.95K5.23M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BF.A and HRL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
MetricBF.AHRL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.450.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.680.09

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 18.12% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Hormel Foods (HRL) at 4.29% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for BF.A.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

18.12%

Max
32.02%
BF.A
18.12%
Q3
16.61%
Median
10.05%
Q1
4.10%
Min
-10.50%

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

4.29%

Max
32.02%
Q3
16.61%
Median
10.05%
HRL
4.29%
Q1
4.10%
Min
-10.50%
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their ROE against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 18.42% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Hormel Foods (HRL) at 2.82%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

18.42%

Max
24.83%
BF.A
18.42%
Q3
11.22%
Median
5.94%
Q1
2.05%
Min
-11.49%

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.82%

Max
24.83%
Q3
11.22%
Median
5.94%
HRL
2.82%
Q1
2.05%
Min
-11.49%
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 27.55% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Hormel Foods (HRL) at 8.62%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

27.55%

Max
34.91%
BF.A
27.55%
Q3
17.57%
Median
11.06%
Q1
4.15%
Min
-15.06%

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

8.62%

Max
34.91%
Q3
17.57%
Median
11.06%
HRL
8.62%
Q1
4.15%
Min
-15.06%
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
MetricBF.AHRL
ROE (TTM)18.12%4.29%
ROA (TTM)8.63%4.63%
Net Margin (TTM)18.42%2.82%
Operating Margin (TTM)27.55%8.62%
Gross Margin (TTM)60.66%15.74%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at -1.18% and Hormel Foods (HRL) at 1.56% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at -16.85% and Hormel Foods (HRL) at -40.82% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
MetricBF.AHRL
Revenue Growth (YoY)-1.18%1.56%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.42%-0.95%
EPS Growth (YoY)-16.85%-40.82%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.09%-21.81%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Hormel Foods (HRL) at 1.88 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 3.26 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.26

Max
4.01
BF.A
3.26
Q3
2.35
Median
1.53
Q1
1.02
Min
0.33

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.88

Max
4.01
Q3
2.35
HRL
1.88
Median
1.53
Q1
1.02
Min
0.33
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 0.62 and Hormel Foods (HRL) at 0.36 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.62

Max
2.19
Q3
1.11
Median
0.68
BF.A
0.62
Q1
0.33
Min
0.00

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.36

Max
2.19
Q3
1.11
Median
0.68
HRL
0.36
Q1
0.33
Min
0.00
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
MetricBF.AHRL
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.261.88
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.620.36
Net Debt / EBITDA1.801.57

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Hormel Foods (HRL) at 5.17% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 2.89% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, HRL the richer one.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.89%

Max
9.38%
Q3
3.77%
BF.A
2.89%
Median
1.76%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

5.17%

Max
9.38%
HRL
5.17%
Q3
3.77%
Median
1.76%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Hormel Foods (HRL) reports payout ratio above 100% at 188.31%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Brown-Forman (BF.A) reports 59.32%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

59.32%

Max
199.19%
Q3
81.03%
BF.A
59.32%
Median
41.52%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

188.31%

Max
199.19%
HRL
188.31%
Q3
81.03%
Median
41.52%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
MetricBF.AHRL
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.89%5.17%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)59.32%188.31%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 20.30 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Hormel Foods (HRL) at 35.40 sits in the richer quartile — HRL needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

20.30

Max
52.52
Q3
30.78
BF.A
20.30
Median
18.76
Q1
12.77
Min
4.72

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

35.40

Max
52.52
HRL
35.40
Q3
30.78
Median
18.76
Q1
12.77
Min
4.72
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Hormel Foods (HRL) at 0.99 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 3.69 sits in the pricier quartile — BF.A costs more per dollar of sales.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.69

Max
4.64
BF.A
3.69
Q3
2.27
Median
1.17
Q1
0.52
Min
0.00

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.99

Max
4.64
Q3
2.27
Median
1.17
HRL
0.99
Q1
0.52
Min
0.00
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Hormel Foods (HRL) at 1.54 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 3.64 carries an above-peer premium to book — BF.A is pricier on assets.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.64

Max
6.35
BF.A
3.64
Q3
3.07
Median
1.58
Q1
0.82
Min
0.00

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.54

Max
6.35
Q3
3.07
Median
1.58
HRL
1.54
Q1
0.82
Min
0.00
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Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hormel Foods (HRL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hormel Foods (HRL)
MetricBF.AHRL
P/E Ratio (TTM)20.3035.40
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.690.99
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.641.54
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.75%5.15%