The Company reaffirms full-year net sales and earnings guidance and announces progress on key initiatives.  

AUSTIN, Minn., June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, today reported results for the second quarter of fiscal 2023. All comparisons are to the second quarter of fiscal 2022 unless otherwise noted.

Hormel Foods corporate logo

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY — SECOND QUARTER

  • Net sales of $3.0 billion
  • Operating income of $296 million
  • Operating margin of 9.9%
  • Earnings before income taxes of $279 million
  • Effective tax rate of 22.1%
  • Diluted net earnings per share of $0.40
  • Cash flow from operations of $208 million

EXECUTIVE COMMENTARY
"We had clear priorities heading into the second quarter, and our results demonstrate our team's ability to execute on those commitments, deliver results in line with our expectations for the quarter, and most importantly, keep us on track to drive growth in the back half of the year," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer. "We made progress during the quarter to address inventory levels, stabilize the Planters® snack nuts business and continue the implementation of our GoFWD operating model. Additionally, our fill rates experienced another quarter of meaningful improvement and are now approaching pre-pandemic levels, a credit to our supply chain team and the strategic investments we have made in our business."

"As expected, strong bottom-line growth from the Foodservice segment during the quarter and the benefit from cost relief in certain areas were offset by lower results from the Retail and International segments," Snee said. "Again this quarter, we leveraged our long-standing relationships, differentiated product portfolio and direct sales team to drive growth for our Foodservice business. In our Retail segment, we continued to benefit from pricing actions and the strength of our leading brands, helping to offset the impact of unfavorable mix and higher operating costs. While our International segment remained challenged, primarily due to a slower-than-expected recovery in China and less turkey available for export, the team drove excellent growth for the SKIPPY® and Planters® brands during the quarter. We also experienced a direct benefit from our multiyear efforts to align resources to our value-added platforms and reduce our exposure to commodity businesses. These actions will continue as part of our evolution as a global branded food company."

OUTLOOK
"We expect sales and earnings growth in the back half of the year," Snee said. "We anticipate continued growth from our Foodservice segment and an inflection in our International segment to be the primary drivers for growth. All of our businesses are expected to benefit from higher turkey volumes and improved fill rates in key categories, such as bacon, pepperoni, snack nuts, and for our SPAM® family of products. Coupled with the progress we have made on GoFWD — including standing up Brand Fuel, restructuring our sales teams and resourcing our marketing teams to better support our leading brands — we remain confident in our growth outlook as we continue to meet the needs of our customers, consumers and operators in this dynamic environment. We are also focused on a number of projects aimed at reducing costs and complexity to improve our margin structure. We expect to start seeing a return from these projects by the fourth quarter. We are encouraged by the progress we have made and our team's sense of urgency to address the near-term challenges impacting the business."

The Company is reaffirming its previously communicated sales and earnings guidance ranges for the full year. For fiscal 2023, the Company expects net sales growth of 1% to 3% compared to the prior year and full-year diluted net earnings per share to be $1.70 to $1.82.

UPDATE ON STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
Protect & grow our core brands

  • We grew volume and sales in the marketplace1 on many core product lines, including Hormel®Square TableTM entrees, Hormel®Black Label® raw bacon and our chili portfolio. To further support our growth in the refrigerated entrees category, we launched two new flavors in partnership with the MegaMex Foods team and Herdez® brand — HerdezTM carnitas slow-cooked pork and HerdezTM chicken shredded in mild chipotle sauce.
  • We expect a strong finish to the year for our SPAM® family of products, supported by the national launch of SPAM® maple, the relaunch of our 7-ounce offering and our latest investment in additional production capacity.
  • The Hormel®Black Label® brand was the only national bacon brand to increase household penetration over the last six months,3 growing volume 22%4 during the most recent quarter.

Amplify scale in snacking & entertaining

  • The Planters® brand saw shipments increase 8% for the quarter,2 aided in part by strong promotional execution. We also launched three new flavored cashew items — rosemary and sea salt, cinnamon and brown sugar, and dill pickle — which will be supported with a national advertising campaign this summer.
  • Columbus® charcuterie tasting boards grew volume, sales and share during the most recent quarter.1 Additionally, this item won the appetizer category for Product of the Year Canada.

Enhance growth of our ethnic & Food Forward portfolios

  • The MegaMex Foods team grew or maintained dollar and volume share1 in the salsa, sauces and refrigerated guacamole categories behind the Herdez®, WHOLLY®, CHI-CHI'S®and Doña Maria® brands.
  • The Herdez® brand expanded its refrigerated-dip portfolio with mild, medium and chipotle varieties. These traditional refrigerated salsas are created with simple ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, garlic and jalapeño peppers.
  • Our Applegate® products grew dollar sales 4% in the most recent quarter, with sales increases recorded in four of five key categories.5

Expand leadership in foodservice

  • For the first half of the year, our team grew volume across many product categories designed to minimize labor, simplify food preparation, save time and preserve flexibility, including premium bacon and breakfast sausage, sliced meats and our line of premium prepared proteins.2
  • With the growing popularity of cupping pepperoni, we introduced Fontanini® cup-and-char sausage at the 2023 International Pizza Expo and Conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Aggressively develop our global presence

  • SKIPPY® peanut butter has achieved the No. 1 share position6 in Mexico. SKIPPY® peanut butter has also achieved the No. 1 share position in the Philippines7 by working with our partner, San Miguel, to build our presence in the country.
  • Garudafood delivered returns in line with expectations during our first quarter of minority ownership. We look forward to expanding our business in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, further leveraging the strengths and capabilities of both companies.
  • Our multinational business in Brazil, which houses our Ceratti® branded portfolio, was named one of the 10 most agile companies at the Brazil Agility Awards in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Continue to transform our company

  • We continued to make progress implementing our GoFWD operating model. We are also advancing the supply chain workstream of Project Orion, our multiyear strategic initiative to modernize our technology, systems and operations.
  • We launched The Originate Initiative to showcase our approach to enterprisewide innovation, as well as information from the company's newest center of excellence, Brand Fuel, which works to ensure that company decisions and investments are guided by insightful market analysis and a deep understanding of where and how consumers shop and eat.
  • Our e-commerce sales grew 9% during the first half of the year, led by products such as Planters® snack nuts, SKIPPY® peanut butter, Hormel® pepperoni and Hormel® chili.8

SEGMENT HIGHLIGHTS – SECOND QUARTER
Volume and net sales declined for each segment partially due to lower turkey availability as a result of the ongoing impacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the company's vertically integrated turkey supply chain.

Retail

  • Volume down 7%
  • Net sales down 4%
  • Segment profit down 19%

Net sales growth from the global flavors vertical was more than offset by lower net sales across the other retail verticals. Brands and products such as Hormel® chili, SKIPPY®, Hormel® pepperoni, WHOLLY®, Applegate® frozen items, Hormel®Square Table™, Hormel® Gatherings®, La Victoria®, Herdez®, Dinty Moore® and Mary Kitchen® delivered net sales growth compared to the prior year. Additionally, Planters® snack nuts and Hormel® Black Label®bacon grew volume during the quarter, partially overcoming the headwind from lower turkey volumes, the impact of elasticities related to pricing actions and lower contract manufacturing volumes. Segment profit declined due to the impact of lower net sales, unfavorable mix and higher operating costs, partially offset by the benefit from pricing actions across the portfolio, higher equity in earnings from MegaMex Foods and improved results for the bacon business.

Foodservice

  • Volume down 1%
  • Net sales down 3%
  • Segment profit up 7%

Volume and net sales growth in the sliced meats, pizza toppings and premium breakfast sausage categories was more than offset by the impact of lower turkey volumes and lower net pricing in certain categories, such as bacon, reflecting raw material commodity deflation. Brands such as Cafe H®, Hormel®Bacon 1™, Old Smokehouse® and Hormel® Fire Braised™ also delivered volume gains compared to the prior year. Segment profit increased primarily due to improved mix across the portfolio.

International

  • Volume down 4%
  • Net sales down 3%
  • Segment profit down 50%

Volume and net sales growth from the SKIPPY® and Planters® brands, in addition to strong growth in Brazil, was more than offset by lower commodity turkey export sales and lower results in China. Foodservice sales in China improved sequentially throughout the second quarter, helping offset the difficult comparison to retail pantry loading and sales to food-security programs last year. Segment profit declined significantly due to lower sales in China and lower turkey export sales.

SELECTED FINANCIAL DETAILS

  • For the second quarter, advertising spend was $35 million, compared to $39 million last year. The Company expects full-year advertising expense to increase compared to the prior year.
  • The effective tax rate was 22.1%, compared to 18.7% for the previous year. Last year's rate benefited from higher stock option exercises. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2023 is expected to be between 21.0% and 23.0%.
  • Capital expenditures were $54 million, compared to $78 million last year. The Company's target for capital expenditures in fiscal 2023 is now $280 million.
  • Depreciation and amortization expense was $71 million, compared to $62 million last year. The full-year expense is expected to be approximately $285 million.
  • Share repurchases for the second quarter totaled $12 million, representing 0.3 million shares purchased.

PRESENTATION
A conference call will be webcast at 8 a.m. CT on June 1, 2023. Access is available at www.hormelfoods.com by clicking on "Investors." The call will also be available via telephone by dialing 888-886-7786 (toll-free) or 416-764-8658 (international). An audio replay is available by going to www.hormelfoods.com. The webcast replay will be available at noon CT, June 1, 2023, and will remain on the website for one year.

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS - Inspired People. Inspired Food.™
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters®, SKIPPY®, SPAM®, Hormel® Natural Choice®, Applegate®, Justin's®, WHOLLY®, Hormel® Black Label®, Columbus®, Jennie-O® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The Company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The Company lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ — to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains "forward-looking" information within the meaning of the federal securities laws. The "forward-looking" information may include statements concerning the Company's outlook for the future as well as other statements of beliefs, future plans, strategies, or anticipated events and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Words or phrases such as "should result," "believe," "intend," "plan," "are expected to," "targeted," "will continue," "will approximate," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical earnings and those anticipated or projected, which factors include, but are not limited to, risks related to the deterioration of economic conditions; the COVID-19 pandemic; risks associated with acquisitions and divestitures; potential disruption of operations including at co-manufacturers, suppliers, logistics providers, customers, or other third-party service providers; risk of loss of a material contract; the Company's inability to protect information technology systems against, or effectively respond to, cyber attacks or security breaches; deterioration of labor relations, labor availability or increases to labor costs; general risks of the food industry, including food contamination; outbreaks of disease among livestock and poultry flocks; fluctuations in commodity prices and availability of raw materials and other inputs; fluctuations in market demand for the Company's products; damage to the Company's reputation or brand image; climate change, or legal, regulatory, or market measures to address climate change; risks of litigation; potential sanctions and compliance costs arising from government regulation; compliance with stringent environmental regulations and potential environmental litigation; and risks arising from the Company's foreign operations. Please refer to the cautionary statements regarding "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements" that appear in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, which can be accessed at www.hormelfoods.com in the "Investors" section, for additional information. In making these statements, the Company is not undertaking, and specifically declines to undertake, any obligation to address or update each or any factor in future filings or communications regarding the Company's business or results, and is not undertaking to address how any of these factors may have caused changes to discussions or information contained in previous filings or communications. Though the Company has attempted to list comprehensively these important cautionary risk factors, the Company wishes to caution investors and others that other factors may in the future prove to be important in affecting the Company's business or results of operations. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which represent current views as of the date made.

Note: Due to rounding, numbers presented throughout this news release may not sum precisely to the totals provided, and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures.

END NOTES
1Circana Total US MULO, 13 weeks ended 4/23/2023
2Internal Data
3Circana Total US MULO, 26 weeks ended 4/23/2023
4Circana Scan Panel; Total US All Outlet, 13 weeks ended 4/23/2023
5Nielsen, Total US xAOC, dollar sales for 12 weeks ended 4/22/2023; category growth for 12 weeks ended 4/29/2023
6NielsenIQ Retail Measurement, MX-Hormel-Untables-ST, Entire Dataset, YTD 5/7/2023
7Kantar, Total Channels, Total Peanut Butter, Total Philippines, 52 weeks ended 3/26/2023
8Retailer POS aggregated, latest 26 weeks ending 04/30/23

 

HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION

SEGMENT DATA

In thousands

Unaudited




Quarter Ended



April 30, 2023


May 1, 2022


% Change

Volume (lbs.)







Retail


766,330


824,539


(7.1)

Foodservice


254,575


257,914


(1.3)

International


78,659


81,745


(3.8)

Total


1,099,563


1,164,198


(5.6)








Net Sales







Retail


$       1,916,243


$       2,000,695


(4.2)

Foodservice


881,441


909,872


(3.1)

International


179,955


185,992


(3.2)

Total


$       2,977,639


$       3,096,559


(3.8)








Segment Profit







Retail


$          153,226


$          190,186


(19.4)

Foodservice


145,399


135,927


7.0

International


13,595


27,130


(49.9)

Total Segment Profit


312,220


353,243


(11.6)

Net Unallocated Expense


33,356


31,436


6.1

Noncontrolling Interest


(24)


62


(138.3)

Earnings Before Income Taxes


$          278,839


$          321,868


(13.4)








 

HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION

SEGMENT DATA

In thousands

Unaudited




Six Months Ended



April 30, 2023


May 1, 2022


% Change

Volume (lbs.)







Retail


1,519,217


1,693,478


(10.3)

Foodservice


491,662


510,164


(3.6)

International


150,896


165,429


(8.8)

Total


2,161,774


2,369,070


(8.8)








Net Sales







Retail


$       3,874,040


$       3,996,591


(3.1)

Foodservice


1,716,191


1,764,066


(2.7)

International


358,400


380,260


(5.7)

Total


$       5,948,632


$       6,140,917


(3.1)








Segment Profit







Retail


$          307,903


$          359,888


(14.4)

Foodservice


281,841


270,685


4.1

International


33,500


54,369


(38.4)

Total Segment Profit


623,244


684,941


(9.0)

Net Unallocated Expense


63,111


54,370


16.1

Noncontrolling Interest


(92)


201


(146.0)

Earnings Before Income Taxes


$          560,041


$          630,772


(11.2)








 

HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

In thousands, except per share amounts

Unaudited




Quarter Ended


Six Months Ended




April 30,
2023


May 1,
2022


April 30,
2023


May 1,
2022


Net Sales


$ 2,977,639


$ 3,096,559


$ 5,948,632


$ 6,140,917


Cost of Products Sold


2,486,220


2,543,088


4,961,263


5,048,697


Gross Profit


491,419


553,471


987,369


1,092,220


Selling, General, and Administrative


212,492


224,659


434,548


450,631


Equity in Earnings of Affiliates


16,870


5,916


32,429


12,814


Operating Income


295,798


334,728


585,250


654,402


Interest and Investment Income


1,365


1,799


11,461


5,668


Interest Expense


18,323


14,658


36,670


29,298


Earnings Before Income Taxes


278,839


321,868


560,041


630,772


Provision for Income Taxes


61,624


60,189


125,175


129,383


Effective Tax Rate


22.1 %


18.7 %


22.4 %


20.5 %


Net Earnings


217,215


261,679


434,866


501,389


Less: Net Earnings (Loss) Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest


(24)


62


(92)


201


Net Earnings Attributable to Hormel Foods Corporation


$    217,239


$    261,617


$    434,958


$    501,188












Net Earnings Per Share:










Basic


$          0.40


$          0.48


$          0.80


$          0.92


Diluted


$          0.40


$          0.48


$          0.79


$          0.91












Weighted-average Shares Outstanding:










Basic


546,424


544,702


546,404


543,691


Diluted


549,013


550,036


549,522


548,982












Dividends Declared Per Share


$      0.2750


$      0.2600


$      0.5500


$      0.5200




 

HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

In thousands

Unaudited




April 30,
2023


October 30,
2022

Assets

Cash and Cash Equivalents


$           580,496


$           982,107

Short-term Marketable Securities


17,531


16,149

Accounts Receivable


761,898


867,593

Inventories


1,745,793


1,716,059

Taxes Receivable


7,230


7,177

Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets


49,649


48,041

Total Current Assets


3,162,596


3,637,125






Goodwill


4,929,881


4,925,829

Other Intangibles


1,794,668


1,803,027

Pension Assets


239,151


245,566

Investments in Affiliates


742,290


271,058

Other Assets


328,010


283,169

Net Property, Plant, and Equipment


2,119,149


2,141,146

Total Assets


$      13,315,745


$      13,306,919











Liabilities and Shareholders' Investment

Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses


$           750,295


$           875,405

Accrued Marketing Expenses


97,665


113,105

Employee Related Expenses


228,675


279,072

Interest and Dividends Payable


172,198


163,963

Taxes Payable


47,434


32,925

Current Maturities of Long-term Debt


8,956


8,796

Total Current Liabilities


1,305,223


1,473,266






Long-term Debt Less Current Maturities


3,294,438


3,290,549

Pension and Post-retirement Benefits


392,914


385,832

Deferred Income Taxes


466,135


475,212

Other Long-term Liabilities


165,421


141,840

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss


(244,887)


(255,561)

Other Shareholders' Investment


7,936,502


7,795,780

Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Investment


$      13,315,745


$      13,306,919

 

HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

In thousands

Unaudited




Quarter Ended


Six Months Ended



April 30,
2023


May 1,
2022


April 30,
2023


May 1,
2022

Operating Activities









Net Earnings


$        217,215


$        261,679


$        434,866


$        501,389

Depreciation and Amortization


70,785


62,156


141,678


126,436

Decrease (Increase) in Working Capital


(85,487)


(154,867)


(153,051)


(100,483)

Other


5,613


24,385


(11,739)


49,769

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities


208,126


193,355


411,754


577,111










Investing Activities









Net (Purchase) Sale of Securities


786


(2,756)


(47)


(4,367)

Net Purchases of Property and Equipment


(53,510)


(78,420)


(85,546)


(127,779)

Proceeds from (Purchases of) Affiliates and Other Investments


(8,792)


4,975


(427,407)


6,265

Other


1,917


70


1,933


70

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities


(59,599)


(76,131)


(511,068)


(125,811)










Financing Activities









Repayments of Long-term Debt and Finance Leases


(2,187)


(2,861)


(4,376)


(5,024)

Dividends Paid on Common Stock


(150,599)


(141,155)


(292,616)


(274,063)

Share Repurchase


(12,303)



(12,303)


Other


(80)


64,034


2,555


75,086

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities


(165,169)


(79,982)


(306,739)


(204,001)

Effect of Exchange Rate Changes on Cash


(2,651)


44


4,442


890

Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents


(19,294)


37,285


(401,611)


248,189

Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Year


599,789


824,434


982,107


613,530

Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Quarter


$        580,496


$        861,719


$        580,496


$        861,719

 

INVESTOR CONTACT:

David Dahlstrom

(507) 437-5248

ir@hormel.com


MEDIA CONTACT:

Media Relations

(507) 437-5345

media@hormel.com

 

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SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation