5 December 2024

2 minute read

By: Global Ag Media

North America

Hormel Foods forecast annual sales and profit below estimates on Wednesday, hurt by slowing demand for its snacking and meat products, including its Jennie-O Turkey brand, reported Reuters. 

Shares of the company fell nearly 4% premarket after Hormel also posted fourth-quarter results in line with Wall Street expectations.

Jennie-O Turkey is one of Hormel's key brands, contributing about 12% to sales in 2022. However, demand for turkey, which is more expensive than chicken or pork, has taken a hit as consumers keep a tight grip on their wallets.

"Considerable volume declines in turkey exports resulted in lower volumes compared to the prior year," Hormel said in a statement.

In recent quarters, price hikes have weakened volume growth for salty snacks across the US, hurting sales of companies like Hormel, Campbell's and PepsiCo.

Hormel has flagged a hit from a production disruption which has been ongoing since the last quarter at its facility in Suffolk, Virginia, due to a food safety issue. This has lowered production of its Planters snack nuts.

The company expects fiscal year 2025 sales between $11.9 billion and $12.2 billion, compared with analysts' expectation of 12.23 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Hormel also expects adjusted profit of $1.58 to $1.72 per share, the mid-point of which is below estimates of $1.68 per share.

Excluding one-off items, the company earned 42 cents per share in the fourth quarter while sales fell 2% to $3.14 billion.

Sales in Hormel's international segment rose 1%, benefiting from growing demand in China after several quarters of weakness.