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Richard Sloan from the University of Michigan was first to document what is referred to as the "accrual anomaly". His 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones.
Hormel Foods's Sloan Ratio for the quarter that ended in Apr. 2026 was -2.47%.
As of Apr. 2026, Hormel Foods has a Sloan Ratio of -2.47%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) Sloan Ratio % Explanation
A former University of Michigan researcher, Richard Sloan's 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones. In fact, for the 40-year period between 1962 and 2001, buying the lowest accrual companies and shorting the highest accrual companies resulted in an average annual compounded return of 18%, more than double the S&P 500's 7.4% annual return over the same period.
If the Sloan Ratio is between -10% and 10%, the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than between -25% and -10% on the negative side, and between 10% and 25% on the positive side, this is a warning stage of accrual build up.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than -25% or greater than 25%, and this ratio is consistent over several quarters or even years, be careful. Earnings are highly likely to be made up of accruals.
As of Apr. 2026, Hormel Foods has a Sloan Ratio of -2.47%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
Hormel Foods Sloan Ratio % Related Terms
Hormel Foods Sloan Ratio % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Hormel Foods's Sloan Ratio % can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Packaged Foods subindustry, Hormel Foods's Sloan Ratio %, along with its competitors' market caps and Sloan Ratio % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Hormel Foods Sloan Ratio % vs Consumer Packaged Goods Industry
For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Hormel Foods's Sloan Ratio % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Hormel Foods's Sloan Ratio % falls into.
Earnings contain a lot of non cash earnings which is called accruals. The Sloan ratio is a way to identify firms with low non-cash or accrual-derived earnings relative to their cash flow.
Hormel Foods's Sloan Ratio for the fiscal year that ended in Oct. 2025 is calculated as
Hormel Foods's Net Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Apr. 2026 was 183.742 (Jul. 2025 ) + -56.137 (Oct. 2025 ) + 181.801 (Jan. 2026 ) + 157.474 (Apr. 2026 ) = $467 Mil.
Hormel Foods's Cash Flow from Operations for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Apr. 2026 was 156.699 (Jul. 2025 ) + 322.906 (Oct. 2025 ) + 349.214 (Jan. 2026 ) + 178.939 (Apr. 2026 ) = $1,008 Mil.
Hormel Foods's Cash Flow from Investing for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Apr. 2026 was -66.323 (Jul. 2025 ) + -93.601 (Oct. 2025 ) + 7.948 (Jan. 2026 ) + -58.69 (Apr. 2026 ) = $-211 Mil.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Hormel Foods (HRL) has a Sloan Ratio % of -2.47% as of Apr. 2026. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Hormel Foods and its competitors.
Is Hormel Foods' Sloan Ratio % too high?
Hormel Foods' current Sloan Ratio % is -2.47%. Overall, Hormel Foods has a GF Score™ of 72/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Hormel Foods' Sloan Ratio % compare to MKC and JBS?
Hormel Foods' Sloan Ratio % of -2.47% can be compared against companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Sloan Ratio % for a Consumer Packaged Goods company?
A good Sloan Ratio % depends on the Consumer Packaged Goods industry context. However, Sloan Ratio % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Sloan Ratio % mean?
A high Sloan Ratio % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Hormel Foods and its competitors. Hormel Foods's current Sloan Ratio % is -2.47%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Hormel Foods stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Hormel Foods (HRL) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $31.24, compared to a current price of $25.03 — trading 19.9% below its estimated fair value. The current Sloan Ratio % is -2.47%. Hormel Foods' overall GF Score™ is 72/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Sloan Ratio % calculated?
Sloan Ratio % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Hormel Foods (HRL), the current Sloan Ratio % is -2.47% as of Apr. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Hormel Foods (HRL) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Hormel Foods stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $25.03 is trading 19.9% below its estimated GF Value™ of $31.24.
GuruFocus considers Hormel Foods to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for HRL:
Sloan Ratio %: -2.47%
GF Value™: $31.24 vs. price of $25.03 (19.9% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the HRL stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Historically meat-focused, Hormel Foods broadened its lineup to include other protein offerings and became a branded food company. The firm sells its wares through multiple channels, including US retail (61.6% of fiscal 2025 sales), US foodservice (32.6%), and international (5.9%). By product, 73% of fiscal 2025 sales were from perishable food and 27% from shelf-stable. Major brands include Hormel, Spam, Jennie-O, Columbus, Applegate, Planters, and Skippy. Many of these hold the number one or two market share in their respective categories.
72GF Score
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