Hormel earnings date and guidance
MyStockButler's October 2026 analysis: Hormel's next results are expected on December 3, 2026. Watch whether organic sales and margins improve while lower overhead spending lasts.
What has Hormel guided for fiscal 2026?
On August 27, Hormel cut its fiscal 2026 sales outlook to $12.1–$12.2 billion while raising the bottom of its adjusted earnings range to $1.45–$1.51 per share. Adjusted earnings exclude selected items that management says obscure ordinary performance. The intended improvement must therefore come mainly from cost savings, better products and growth in Foodservice, which supplies restaurants and other professional kitchens.
| Period guided | Low | High | Date given | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Sales (GAAP) | Fiscal 2026 | 12,100 | 12,200 | Aug 27, 2026 |
| Diluted earnings per share (GAAP) | Fiscal 2026 | 1.06 | 1.12 | Aug 27, 2026 |
| Adjusted diluted earnings per share (non-GAAP) | Fiscal 2026 | 1.45 | 1.51 | Aug 27, 2026 |
| Capital expenditures | Fiscal 2026 | 260 | 290 | Aug 27, 2026 |
What this means. The company’s adjusted operating income and adjusted earnings per share are higher because they leave out selected costs included in the standard accounting figures.
Has Hormel kept its promises?
The record behind the promise is mixed: sales finished below the original range twice across four comparable years, while GAAP earnings missed three times. Adjusted fiscal 2025 EPS also missed its original range. The guidance table shows how the current forecast is constructed.
| What management forecast | Checked | Above | Within | Below |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Sales | 4 years | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Diluted Earnings per Share / Diluted Net Earnings per Share | 4 years | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Capital Expenditures | 5 years | 1 | 0 | 4 |
What this means. The “two out of five promises kept” summary does not match the numbers shown in the rows, so it may use a different counting rule.
What have Hormel's last eight quarters shown?
July 2026 showed better adjusted earnings and cash, but weaker sales and reported profit. Revenue fell to $2.96 billion from $3.03 billion a year earlier, while gross margin slipped from 16.1% to 15.9%.
| Jul 2026 | Apr 2026 | Jan 2026 | Oct 2025 | Jul 2025 | Apr 2025 | Jan 2025 | Oct 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 2,961,333 | 2,972,600 | 3,027,317 | 3,185,661 | 3,032,876 | 2,898,810 | 2,988,813 | 3,138,091 |
| Gross margin | 15.9% | 17.4% | 15.5% | 14.0% | 16.1% | 16.7% | 15.9% | 16.6% |
| Operating income | 110,904 | 217,112 | 243,697 | 2,172 | 239,748 | 248,352 | 228,330 | 294,481 |
| Net income | 59,573 | 157,474 | 181,801 | -56,137 | 183,742 | 180,017 | 170,575 | 220,196 |
| EPS, diluted | 0.11 | 0.29 | 0.33 | -0.10 | 0.33 | 0.33 | 0.31 | 0.40 |
What should Hormel watchers look for in the next release?
The fiscal 2026 results will settle the current promises and introduce the next outlook. Investors should look first at organic sales and margins, then at whether lower overhead spending lasts. Management expects advertising to rise in fiscal Q4, so some recent savings may reflect timing rather than a permanent change. Fiscal 2027 also has a 53rd week, which can add reported sales without equivalent underlying growth.
Fiscal 2028 will test whether Brakebush increases adjusted EPS and whether the promised synergy rate arrives by year-end. Hormel must fund the acquisition and near-term debt before then, so the decisive measure is not earnings alone. It is the cash left after running the business, investing, paying dividends and meeting debt obligations.