LIVE
GIS
General Mills, Inc. · Consumer Staples - Packaged Foods
$33.42
-1.04% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
HRL
Hormel Foods Corporation · Consumer Staples - Packaged Foods / Protein
$24.16
+18.43% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
GIS
3
HRL
2
Comparison scoreboard
GIS LEADS 3/5AI Score
GIS 26.3
HRL ✓26.4
1Y Return
GIS -37.04%
HRL ✓-19.63%
Fwd P/E
GIS ✓10.98
HRL 15.86
Target Up.
GIS ✓+7.22%
HRL +7.07%
Op. Margin
GIS ✓19.19%
HRL 11.06%
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
GIS vs HRL Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
GIS and HRL are both established consumer staples companies with iconic brand portfolios and long dividend histories, but General Mills is broader with cereal, snacks, and pet food, while Hormel is more concentrated in protein and meat products. Both are classic defensive consumer staples investments with modest growth profiles.
GIS vs HRL compares two classic consumer staples food companies navigating private label pressure and post-inflation volume recovery, with different category focuses and growth drivers.
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
GIS holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. HRL has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-19.63% vs -37.04%), though GIS trades at the lower forward P/E (10.98x vs 15.86x). GIS leads on both revenue growth (2.20%) and operating margin (19.19%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +7.22% for GIS and +7.07% for HRL.
Normalized 1Y performance
GIS
HRL
Recent returns
GIS
HRL
Analyst price targets & sentiment
GIS
Price target range
analyst mean$37.00
current price$33.42
+7.2% upside to analyst mean
HRL
Price target range
analyst mean$26.50
current price$24.16
+7.1% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
GIS may suit investors who:
- →Want a broad consumer staples portfolio including cereal, snacks, and pet food
- →Value Blue Buffalo pet nutrition as a faster-growth segment within General Mills
- →Appreciate consistent dividend income from an iconic multi-category food brand portfolio
HRL may suit investors who:
- →Want consumer staples exposure concentrated in protein and pantry brands (SPAM, Skippy, Planters)
- →Value Hormel's Dividend King status with 50+ years of consecutive dividend increases
- →See defensive value in protein-focused consumer brands with long household loyalty
Performance & AI score
| Metric | GIS | HRL |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 26.3 | 26.4 |
| AI rank | #2627 | #2614 |
| Latest close | $33.42 | $24.16 |
| 1M return | -1.04% | +18.43% |
| 6M return | -31.25% | +0.71% |
| 1Y return | -37.04% | -19.63% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | GIS | HRL |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $6.31K (-36.9%) started 2025-06-18 | $8.01K (-19.9%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $7.29K (-27.1%) started 2021-06-21 | $6.4K (-36.0%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $9.99K (-0.1%) started 2016-06-20 | $10.96K (+9.6%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | GIS | HRL |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $18.42B | $13.62B |
| Trailing P/E | 8.44 | 29.12 |
| Forward P/E | 10.98 | 15.86 |
| Price/Sales | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenue | 1.15 | 1.09 |
| Analyst target | $37.00 | $26.50 |
| Target upside | +7.22% | +7.07% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | GIS | HRL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 2.20% | -2.90% |
| Earnings growth | -14.50% | -5.10% |
| EPS growth | -14.50% | -5.10% |
| FCF margin | +12.32% | +3.86% |
| Operating margin | 19.19% | 11.06% |
| Profit margin | 12.05% | 3.82% |
| ROIC proxy | 23.59% | 5.83% |
| Return on equity | 23.59% | 5.83% |
| Dividend yield | 7.07% | 4.73% |
| Beta | -0.04 | 0.34 |
| Debt/equity | 217.63 | 4.24 |
| Current ratio | 0.56 | 1.94 |
| Quick ratio | 0.30 | 0.93 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
GIS max drawdown40.24%
HRL max drawdown37.41%
GIS max wkly drop11.09%
HRL max wkly drop13.30%
5Y risk snapshot
GIS max drawdown61.80%
HRL max drawdown60.44%
GIS max wkly drop11.09%
HRL max wkly drop13.30%
10Y risk snapshot
GIS max drawdown61.80%
HRL max drawdown60.44%
GIS max wkly drop19.17%
HRL max wkly drop13.30%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | GIS | HRL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -36.90% | -19.89% |
| CAGR | -36.94% | -19.92% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.00 | -0.75 | |
| Max drawdown | 40.24% | 37.41% | |
| Max daily drop | 6.99% | 13.09% | |
| Max wkly drop | 11.09% | 13.30% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -36.63% | -43.32% |
| CAGR | -8.73% | -10.75% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.54 | -0.54 | |
| Max drawdown | 61.80% | 60.44% | |
| Max daily drop | 7.32% | 13.09% | |
| Max wkly drop | 11.09% | 13.30% | |
| 10Y | Growth | -30.69% | -13.59% |
| CAGR | -3.60% | -1.45% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.26 | -0.14 | |
| Max drawdown | 61.80% | 60.44% | |
| Max daily drop | 11.41% | 13.09% | |
| Max wkly drop | 19.17% | 13.30% |
Business comparison
| Category | GIS | HRL |
|---|---|---|
| Company | General Mills, Inc. | Hormel Foods Corporation |
| Sector | Consumer Defensive | Consumer Defensive |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | General Mills is a global packaged food company with leading brands including Cheerios, Wheaties, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Yoplait, Blue Buffalo pet food, and Old El Paso, selling across cereal, snacks, baking, yogurt, and pet food categories. | Hormel Foods is a branded food company focused primarily on protein products including SPAM, Skippy peanut butter, Jennie-O turkey, Columbus Craft Meats, Planters nuts, and Dinty Moore stews, along with foodservice protein distribution. |
| Investor focus | Investors track General Mills' organic volume recovery after price inflation years, Blue Buffalo pet food growth, and the balance between pricing and volume in the normalizing consumer environment. | Investors track Hormel's volume recovery in its retail segment, foodservice business performance, and management's ability to navigate turkey market volatility and avian influenza risk in the Jennie-O segment. |
GIS strengths
- →Broad portfolio of iconic consumer food brands across multiple grocery categories with deep household penetration
- →Blue Buffalo is a leading premium pet food brand providing high-growth exposure within the pet nutrition market
- →Consistent dividend payment history makes GIS a staple dividend investor holding
HRL strengths
- →Unique combination of iconic consumer brands (SPAM, Skippy, Planters) with a growing foodservice business
- →Dividend King with 50+ consecutive years of annual dividend increases
- →Protein-focused portfolio benefits from long-term consumer interest in high-protein diets
Risks to watch — GIS
- →Volume declines following price-led revenue growth have weighed on organic growth consistency
- →Cereal category faces secular headwinds from changing breakfast habits and competition from faster-growing breakfast categories
- →Private label competition across multiple food categories pressures branded product market share
Risks to watch — HRL
- →Jennie-O turkey segment is sensitive to avian influenza outbreaks that can disrupt supply
- →Turkey and pork commodity exposure creates raw material cost variability
- →Revenue and volume have been sluggish as the company navigates post-pandemic normalization
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