HORMEL FOODS CORP /DE/

When assessing its liquidity and capital resources, the Company evaluates cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments, income from operations, and borrowing capacity.

Cash Flow Highlights

Cash and cash equivalents increased $197 million and $99 million during the first three months of fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2025, respectively. Cash provided by operating activities was sufficient to cover dividend payments and capital expenditures in both years. Additional details related to significant drivers of cash flows are provided below.

Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities

•Cash flows from operating activities were impacted by changes in operating assets and liabilities.

–Inventory decreased $91 million during the first three months of fiscal 2026 compared to a decrease of $56 million in the comparable period of the prior year. The decrease in inventory during fiscal 2026 was driven by holiday sales and lower raw material markets compared to the end of fiscal 2025. The decrease in inventory during fiscal 2025 was primarily driven by holiday sales and constrained turkey inventories.

–Accounts receivable decreased $91 million and $57 million during the first three months of fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2025, respectively, primarily due to lower sales compared to the fourth quarter of each respective prior year.

–Net income taxes payable benefited from the receipt of a $38 million federal income tax refund in fiscal 2026.

–Accounts payable and accrued expenses decreased $97 million and $56 million during the first three months of fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2025, respectively. These decreases were driven by annual incentive payments and livestock and feed deferral payments, which were partially offset by higher marketing accruals. The decrease in fiscal 2026 was also due to the general timing of invoice payments.

Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities

•Capital expenditures were $69 million and $72 million during the first three months of fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2025, respectively. The largest projects during fiscal 2026 were related to capacity expansion at the ambient meat snack facility in Jiaxing, China, and investments in data and technology. Significant projects during fiscal 2025 included the transition from harvest to value-added capacity for Hormel® Fire Braised® products and Applegate® products at the Company's facility in Barron, Wisconsin, and equipment upgrades for chili production in Beloit, Wisconsin.

•Proceeds from the sale of business were $79 million during the first three months of fiscal 2026, from the sale of the Company’s controlling equity interest in Justin's, LLC, and were $14 million in the first three months of fiscal 2025, primarily from the sale of the Company's equity interest in Mountain Prairie, LLC.

Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities

•Cash dividends paid to the Company’s shareholders totaled $160 million during the first three months of fiscal 2026, compared to $155 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2025.

Sources and Uses of Cash

The Company believes its business model, with diversification across raw material inputs, channels, and categories, provides stability in ever-changing economic environments. The Company maintains a disciplined capital allocation strategy and uses a waterfall approach, which focuses first on core uses of cash, such as capital expenditures to maintain facilities, dividend returns to investors, mandatory debt repayments, and fulfillment of pension obligations. Next, the Company looks to strategic items in support of growth initiatives, such as other capital projects, acquisitions, additional dividend increases, and working capital investments. Finally, the Company evaluates opportunistic uses, including incremental debt repayment and share repurchases.

The Company believes its anticipated income from operations, cash on hand, borrowing capacity under the current unsecured revolving credit facility, and access to capital markets will be adequate to meet all short-term and long-term commitments. The Company expects to continue optimizing its portfolio through acquisitions and divestitures that align with its strategic priorities. The Company maintains multiple liquidity sources, including its ability to issue debt, which supports strategic investments and acquisitions.

Dividend Payments

The Company remains committed to providing returns to investors through cash dividends on its common stock. The Company has paid 390 consecutive quarterly dividends since becoming a public company in 1928. On November 24, 2025, the Board of Directors authorized a quarterly dividend for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, of $0.2925 per share, a 1% increase from the prior year.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures are allocated to required maintenance and growth opportunities based on the needs of the business. Capital expenditures supporting growth opportunities in fiscal 2026 are expected to focus on projects related to infrastructure, new data and technology, and equipment upgrades. Capital expenditures for fiscal 2026 are estimated to be $260 million to $290 million.

Debt

As of January 25, 2026, the Company’s outstanding debt included an aggregate of $2.9 billion of fixed rate unsecured senior notes due in fiscal 2027, 2028, 2030, and 2051 with interest payable semi-annually. During the first three months of fiscal 2026, the Company made $25 million of interest payments and the Company expects to make an additional $49 million of interest payments in fiscal 2026 on these notes. See Note L - Long-term Debt and Other Borrowing Arrangements of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Borrowing Capacity

As a source of short-term financing, the Company maintains a $750 million unsecured revolving credit facility. The maximum commitment under this credit facility may be further increased by $375 million upon the satisfaction of certain conditions. Extensions of credit under the facility may be applied by the Company to refinance existing indebtedness and for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including acquisition funding, and may be made in the form of revolving loans, swing line loans, and letters of credit. The lending commitments under the facility are scheduled to expire on March 25, 2030, at which time the Company will be required to pay in full all obligations then outstanding. As of January 25, 2026, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under this facility.

Debt Covenants

The Company’s debt agreements contain customary terms and conditions including representations, warranties, and covenants. These debt covenants limit the ability of the Company to, among other things, incur debt for borrowed money secured by certain liens, or engage in certain sale and leaseback transactions, and the covenants require the Company to maintain certain consolidated financial ratios. As of January 25, 2026, the Company was in compliance with all covenants in its debt agreements and expects to maintain compliance in the future.

Cash Held by International Subsidiaries

As of January 25, 2026, the Company’s international subsidiaries held $214 million of cash and cash equivalents. During the first quarter of fiscal 2026, the Company repatriated $21 million in cash from international subsidiaries with a one-time distribution. The Company maintains all undistributed earnings as permanently reinvested. The Company evaluates the balance and uses of cash held internationally based on the needs of the business.

Share Repurchases

The Company is authorized to repurchase 3,677,494 shares of common stock as part of an existing plan approved by the Company’s Board of Directors. Under the share repurchase authorization, the Company may repurchase shares periodically, depending on market conditions and other factors, and may do so in open market purchases or privately negotiated transactions. The share repurchase authorization has no expiration date. The Company did not repurchase any shares of stock during the first three months of fiscal 2026. The Company continues to evaluate share repurchases as part of its capital allocation strategy.

Commitments

There have been no material changes to the information regarding the Company’s future contractual financial obligations previously disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 26, 2025.

TRADEMARKS

References to the Company’s brands or products in italics within this report represent valuable trademarks owned or licensed by Hormel Foods, LLC or other subsidiaries of Hormel Foods Corporation.