Hormel Foods Corporation (HRL) Probability Analysis
Probability analysis extracts the risk-neutral probability distribution implied by option prices. It shows the market-implied likelihood of the underlying reaching various price levels by expiration.
Hormel Foods Corporation (HRL) operates in the Consumer Defensive sector, specifically the Packaged Foods industry, with a market capitalization near $13.04B, listed on NYSE, employing roughly 20,000 people, carrying a beta of 0.33 to the broader market. Hormel Foods Corporation is a prominent global food company that specializes in the creation, preparation, and supply of a diverse array of meat, nut, and other culinary items. Led by Jeffrey Ettinger, public since 1980-03-17.
Snapshot as of Aug 28, 2026.
- Spot Price
- $21.38
- ATM IV
- 319.9%
- IV Rank
- 100.0%
- IV Percentile
- 100.0%
- HV 20-Day
- 40.1%
- IV Skew 25Δ
- -0.024
As of Aug 28, 2026, Hormel Foods Corporation (HRL) at $21.38 has an ATM IV of 319.9%, implying a 30-day one-standard-deviation range of approximately ±$19.61. IV rank is 100.0% (elevated, distribution priced wider than typical). IV percentile is 100.0%. The 25-delta skew is -0.024: downside tail priced richer than upside, biasing probability mass below spot. Under lognormal assumptions roughly 68% of outcomes fall within ±1σ and 95% within ±2σ; risk-neutral probability analysis refines this by extracting the market-implied distribution directly from options prices, capturing the fat tails that real markets exhibit.
How HRL probability analysis Data Feeds Strategy Selection
Strategy selection on Hormel Foods Corporation options does not derive from any single metric in isolation. The probability analysis view above sits inside a broader read: ATM IV currently sits at 319.9% and dealer gamma exposure is negative, so dealer hedging amplifies directional moves. Combine the probability analysis data here with the volatility-skew surface, dealer-gamma exposure, max-pain level, and upcoming-events calendar to build a positioning thesis. Risk-defined structures (credit spreads, debit spreads, iron condors) are usually safer than naked positions while the regime is uncertain; the data on this page anchors the inputs but does not by itself constitute a trade thesis.
How to read the HRL probability distribution
The probability cone above is the option-market-implied distribution of where Hormel Foods Corporation spot could end up at expiration. It's derived from the implied-volatility surface via a risk-neutral pricing transformation, not from historical realized returns. With ATM IV at 319.9% and spot at $21.38, the 1σ band is approximately ±110.4% over a 30-day horizon. Recent realized HV-20 of 40.1% runs 279.8 vol points below the current implied, suggesting the chain is pricing more dispersion than the underlying has been delivering.
HRL risk-neutral vs real-world probabilities
The probabilities derived from option prices reflect the market's risk-adjusted view, not the realized statistical distribution. Risk-neutral probabilities include the equity risk premium and skew preferences priced into options, so they tend to overstate tail probability and understate upside drift relative to actually-realized outcomes. HRL's put-skewed 25-delta surface (-0.024) means downside risk-neutral probabilities are higher than upside - the empirical bias is well-documented. For probability-of-touch calculations and assignment-risk modeling, risk-neutral is the right benchmark. For position-sizing your own conviction, blend with realized-volatility-based statistics from the HV columns.
Trading the HRL distribution
Probability-driven strategies aim to capture mispricings between the implied distribution and your own probability assessment. Premium-selling structures (credit spreads, iron condors, cash-secured puts) profit when the implied distribution overprices tail probability relative to realized; premium-buying (debit spreads, long calls/puts, long straddles) profits in the reverse. With HRL IV rank at 100.0%, the chain is pricing fatter tails than recent realized history; sellers earn the gap on average. Always pair probability-driven strategy selection with a stop loss or wing-defined risk - the implied distribution is a snapshot, and regime shifts can invalidate it intraday.
Learn how risk-neutral density is reported and how to read the data →
HRL highest implied-volatility contracts
| Type | Strike | Expiration | Volume | OI | IV | Bid | Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUT | $21.00 | Sep 25, 2026 | 75 | 279 | 657.2% | $0.25 | $0.40 |
| CALL | $22.00 | Sep 25, 2026 | 19 | 1.1K | 391.5% | $0.25 | $0.35 |
Top 2 contracts from the institutional-grade nightly options scan; ranked by iv within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.
Frequently asked HRL probability analysis questions
- What is the HRL 30-day expected price range?
- As of Aug 28, 2026, with HRL at $21.38 and ATM IV at 319.9%, the implied 30-day one-standard-deviation range is approximately ±$19.61, or about $1.77 to $40.99. IV rank is elevated, so the priced distribution is wider than the 1-year typical width.
- What does HRL risk-neutral density tell us?
- Risk-neutral density is the probability distribution of future HRL price implied by listed option prices. Extracted via Breeden-Litzenberger (twice-differentiating the call price function with respect to strike), it represents the pricing kernel rather than the real-world probability of outcomes. Persistent skew or fat-tail features in the density reflect how the market is pricing tail risk.
- How does HRL ATM IV translate to a probability range?
- ATM IV is annualized; multiplying by sqrt(t/365) scales it to the chosen tenor. Under lognormal assumptions, the resulting standard deviation defines the ±1σ band that contains roughly 68% of outcomes, ±2σ for 95%. Empirical equity returns have fatter tails than log-normal, so the implied tail probabilities under-state realized tail frequency in stressed regimes.