HRL vs. KO: Hormel Foods vs. Coca-Cola Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO) 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

Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO) both fall under the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group, but HRL is classified in Food Products while KO is classified in Beverages.

Company profile comparison for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Profile Item	HRL	KO
Name	Hormel Foods Corporation	The Coca-Cola Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Food, Beverage & Tobacco	Food, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS Industry	Food Products	Beverages
GICS Sub-Industry	Packaged Foods & Meats	Soft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages
Market Capitalization	12.08 billion USD	411.56 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HRL

GSPC

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO), 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 Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	HRL	KO
Total Return (1Y)	6.06%	39.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-8.11%	22.59%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-9.33%	14.43%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HRL

GSPC

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO), 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 Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	HRL	KO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	29.42%	18.90%
Beta (5Y)	0.25	0.27
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-59.13%	-17.27%
Avg. Volume (3M)	5.23M	16.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HRL and KO 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 Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	HRL	KO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	1.85
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.09	3.17

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 40.59% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Hormel Foods (HRL) at 4.29%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

40.59%

KO: 40.59%
Max: 32.02%
Q3: 16.61%
Median: 10.05%
Q1: 4.10%
Min: -10.50%

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their ROE against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.65% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Hormel Foods (HRL) at 2.82% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.65%

KO: 28.65%
Max: 24.83%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
Q1: 2.05%
Min: -11.49%

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 33.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Hormel Foods (HRL) at 8.62%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

33.36%

Max: 34.91%
KO: 33.36%
Q3: 17.57%
Median: 11.06%
Q1: 4.15%
Min: -15.06%

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	HRL	KO
ROE (TTM)	4.29%	40.59%
ROA (TTM)	4.63%	9.59%
Net Margin (TTM)	2.82%	28.65%
Operating Margin (TTM)	8.62%	33.36%
Gross Margin (TTM)	15.74%	62.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Hormel Foods (HRL) at 1.56% and Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.87% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Coca-Cola (KO) at 23.58% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Hormel Foods (HRL) at -40.82% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for KO.

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	HRL	KO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	1.56%	1.87%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-0.95%	3.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-40.82%	23.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-21.81%	11.55%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Hormel Foods (HRL) at 1.88 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.38 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.38

Max: 4.01
Q3: 2.35
Median: 1.53
KO: 1.38
Q1: 1.02
Min: 0.33

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Hormel Foods (HRL) at 0.36 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.07 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.07

Max: 2.19
Q3: 1.11
KO: 1.07
Median: 0.68
Q1: 0.33
Min: 0.00

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	HRL	KO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.88	1.38
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.36	1.07
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.57	1.48

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Hormel Foods (HRL) at 5.17% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Coca-Cola (KO) at 2.19% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, HRL the richer one.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.19%

Max: 9.38%
Q3: 3.77%
KO: 2.19%
Median: 1.76%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): 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 Coca-Cola (KO) reports 61.95%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

61.95%

Max: 199.19%
Q3: 81.03%
KO: 61.95%
Median: 41.52%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	HRL	KO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	5.17%	2.19%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	188.31%	61.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.22 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.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.22

Max: 52.52
Q3: 30.78
KO: 28.22
Median: 18.76
Q1: 12.77
Min: 4.72

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): 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 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Coca-Cola (KO) at 8.06 clears its benchmark range — KO looks notably rich on sales.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

8.06

KO: 8.06
Max: 4.64
Q3: 2.27
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.52
Min: 0.00

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): 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 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Coca-Cola (KO) at 11.01 prices above its benchmark range — KO looks rich relative to book.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

11.01

KO: 11.01
Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.07
Median: 1.58
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.00

Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	HRL	KO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	35.40	28.22
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.99	8.06
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.54	11.01
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	5.15%	1.06%