13 Best Blue Chip Stocks to Buy Under $50

11. Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 32

Share Price as of the Close of December 10: $23.74

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) is among the best blue-chip stocks to invest in.

On December 9, Barclays cut its price target on Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) to $31 from $30 as it outlined its view for the Americas agribusiness sector. However, the firm maintained an Overweight rating on the shares. Barclays expects the agriculture market to deliver mixed results next year. The firm is more optimistic about seed companies than crude protein producers and sees fertilizers as neutral to slightly positive. For grain traders, the firm says the direction of the market will heavily depend on biofuel policy. In the protein segment, Barclays expects 2026 to look a lot like 2025.

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL)’s fiscal Q4 2025 earnings were announced on December 4, in which the company’s revenue came in at $3.2 billion, showing a 2% growth from the last year. Operating income was modest at $2 billion, while adjusted operating income reached $245 million. Even with these positive signs, the company is still dealing with pressure on profitability because of stubborn input cost inflation and some one-off items. However, the management indicated that they are taking clear steps to improve results, including targeted price increases, cuts to administrative expenses, and ongoing investment in Transform and Modernize initiatives.

As part of these structural changes, Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) announced in November that it will cut 250 corporate and sales jobs. The company, in addition to this, launched a voluntary early retirement program for some non-plant employees and plans to close unfilled roles, along with reducing parts of its office-based workforce. Hormel expects to take $20 million to $25 million in restructuring charges related to pension benefits, severance, employee costs, and stock compensation.

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) is a well-known American food company, producing a wide range of branded meat and grocery products found in households across the country.