Meat stocks are publicly traded companies that produce meat products, such as beef, pork, and chicken. The average American consumes almost 225 pounds of meat each year, a little more than half a pound a day, and the second-highest rate globally.
Plus, worldwide meat consumption is rising. By 2050, global meat consumption could top 570 million tons, double the amount in 2008.
This forecast bodes well for food companies focused on producing meat to feed the masses. It's already a $1.4 trillion industry that should continue growing. Here's a closer look at the meat-focused food stocks investors should consider this year.
Top meat stocks to consider
Here's a snapshot of some of the biggest meat companies traded on major stock exchanges:
| Name and ticker | Market cap | Dividend yield | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) | $9.5 billion | 4.15% | Food Products |
| Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) | $342.6 million | 0.00% | Food Products |
| Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) | $13.5 billion | 4.72% | Food Products |
| Pilgrim's Pride (NASDAQ:PPC) | $10.4 billion | 0.00% | Food Products |
| Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) | $22.3 billion | 3.10% | Food Products |
Here's a closer look at these meat-focused consumer staples stocks.
1. Smithfield Foods
NASDAQ: SFD
Key Data Points
Smithfield Foods (SFD +1.29%) completed its IPO in early 2025, returning to the public market following its 2013 takeover by Hong Kong-based WH Group.
Smithfield is a leading producer of value-added packaged meats and fresh pork. Its portfolio of brands includes Smithfield, Eckrich, and Nathan's Famous.
The company rang up $11.3 billion in sales through the first nine months of 2025, a 10.9% year-over-year increase. While it faced headwinds from higher raw materials costs and cautious consumer spending last year, Smithfield posted its second-best third-quarter profit on record in its packaged meat segment.
2. Beyond Meat
NASDAQ: BYND
Key Data Points
Beyond Meat (BYND -5.63%) is a leader in plant-based meat substitutes. The company aims to disrupt the meat industry by shifting the planet from animal-based meat to plant-based proteins. Beyond Meat strives to create products with the same taste and texture as animal-based meats. It believes its products will improve the health of the population and the planet.
Beyond Meat has developed plant-based products that it sells to the food service and retail sectors to replace beef, pork, and chicken. The company sold more than 45.7 million pounds of products through the first nine months of 2025, generating almost $213 million in revenue, both down about 14% year over year.
The company continues investing in innovative new products to gobble up a larger share of the global protein market. In early 2026, Beyond Meat started expanding beyond the center of the plate by introducing its Beyond Immerse Protein Drink.
Revenue
3. Hormel Foods
NYSE: HRL
Key Data Points
Hormel (HRL +2.76%) is a leading global branded food company. It has three operating segments:
- Retail: This category features the company's iconic retail brands, like Planters, SPAM, Skippy, Herdez, Jennie-O, and Hormel.
- Food service: This operating segment focuses on serving food service places with a portfolio of products in the pizza toppings and bacon categories.
- International: This operating category includes products that the company sells internationally, as well as its international investments.
- Hormel has been slowly shifting from being a meat-centric company to a global branded food company. It generated $12.1 billion in revenue in fiscal 2025 (up 2%) from more than 40 global brands. The company also boasts an elite record of increasing its dividend. With 60 years of consecutive annual dividend increases, Hormel Foods is a Dividend King, a company with 50 or more years of increasing its dividend.
4. Pilgrim's Pride
NASDAQ: PPC
Key Data Points
Pilgrim's Pride (PPC -0.46%) is one of the world's largest poultry producers. The company operates protein processing plants and prepared food facilities worldwide. It primarily delivers its products to retailers and food service distributors.
Pilgrim's Pride also has a rapidly growing prepared foods business featuring branded fully cooked products Just Bare and Pilgrim's Chicken. The company's revenue rose 3.5% during the first nine months of 2025 to almost $14 billion, and its net income rose 18% to $1.4 billion (largely due to falling costs).
Pilgrim's Pride is investing more than $500 million in the U.S. over the coming years to support growing demand, including $400 million to build a new prepared foods facility in Georgia.
5. Tyson Foods
NYSE: TSN
Key Data Points
Tyson Foods (TSN +0.37%) is one of the world's largest food companies. It's a leader in protein, with an estimated 20% share of U.S. protein consumption. The company's segments include prepared foods, beef, pork, chicken, and international/other. It has an extensive portfolio of products and brands, including Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Wright, Aidells, IBP, and State Fair.
Tyson has also expanded into plant-based products in recent years. Its Raised & Rooted brand features a growing lineup of alternative plant-based protein products. It also invested in the insect ingredients company Protix to support the growth of sustainable insect-based proteins.
Tyson's sales rose 2.1% in its 2025 fiscal year to $54.4 billion, while its adjusted operating income surged 26% to $2.3 billion. The company is investing $700 million to $1 billion in 2026 on profitability improvement projects as well as maintenance and repair projects at existing facilities.
Benefits and risks of investing in meat stocks
Some of the benefits of investing in meat stocks include:
- Capitalizing on the growing demand for protein.
- The potential to earn passive dividend income.
- A potential way to hedge food inflation.
On the other hand, some risks of investing in meat stocks are:
- Dwindling pure play investment opportunities due to consolidation and privatizations in the sector.
- The uncertain impact of alternatives such as plant-based protein and lab-grown meats.
- The potential for underperformance due to cost pressures, debt issues, and other factors.
How to invest in meat stocks
Here's a step-by-step guide on investing in meat stocks:
- Open your brokerage app: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
- Search for the stock: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
- Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
- Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
- Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
- Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.
Are meat stocks a good investment?
Demand for meat is growing, which should enable meat-focused producers (and producers of alternative plant-based products) to expand their profits in the coming years. Investors have several tasty options if they want to invest directly in the long-term growth potential of the global meat market.
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