XML 29 R15.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.21.2

Pension and Other Post-retirement Benefits | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Oct. 31, 2021
Retirement Benefits [Abstract] |
Pension and Other Post-retirement Benefits | Pension and Other Post-retirement Benefits The Company has several defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans covering most employees. Benefits for defined benefit pension plans covering hourly employees are provided based on stated amounts for each year of service, while plan benefits covering salaried employees are based on final average compensation. Total costs associated with the Company’s defined contribution benefit plans in fiscal years 2021, 2020, and 2019 were $46.7 million, $44.5 million, and $43.0 million, respectively. Certain groups of employees are eligible for post-retirement health or welfare benefits. Benefits for retired employees vary for each group depending on respective retirement dates and applicable plan coverage in effect. Contribution requirements for retired employees are governed by the Retiree Health Care Payment Program and may change each year as the cost to provide coverage is determined. Net periodic cost of defined benefit plans included the following:
|  | Pension Benefits |  | Post-retirement Benefits
(in thousands) |  | 2021 |  | 2020 |  | 2019 |  | 2021 |  | 2020 |  | 2019
Service Cost |  | $ | 37,127 |  |  | $ | 35,584 |  |  | $ | 26,042 |  |  | $ | 533 |  |  | $ | 770 |  |  | $ | 690 |
Interest Cost |  | 50,399 |  |  | 53,642 |  |  | 60,385 |  |  | 7,945 |  |  | 9,306 |  |  | 12,016 |
Expected Return on Plan Assets |  | (102,693) |  |  | (101,283) |  |  | (92,492) |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Amortization of Prior Service Cost |  | (1,496) |  |  | (2,168) |  |  | (2,795) |  |  | (669) |  |  | (2,651) |  |  | (2,675) |
Recognized Actuarial Loss (Gain) |  | 22,742 |  |  | 22,383 |  |  | 14,805 |  |  | 2,020 |  |  | 1,045 |  |  | — |
Curtailment (Gain) Charge |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 2,825 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 1,219 |
Net Periodic Cost |  | $ | 6,080 |  |  | $ | 8,158 |  |  | $ | 8,770 |  |  | $ | 9,830 |  |  | $ | 8,470 |  |  | $ | 11,250 |
Non-service cost components of net pension and post-retirement benefit cost are presented within Interest and Investment Income on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Actuarial gains and losses and any adjustments resulting from plan amendments are deferred and amortized over periods ranging from 8-20 years for pension benefits and 4-15 years for post-retirement benefits. The following amounts have not been recognized in net periodic pension cost and are included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss:
|  | Pension Benefits |  | Post-retirement Benefits
(in thousands) |  | 2021 |  | 2020 |  | 2021 |  | 2020
Unrecognized Prior Service Credit |  | $ | (3,624) |  |  | $ | (2,128) |  |  | $ | (154) |  |  | $ | 514 |
Unrecognized Actuarial Losses |  | (305,433) |  |  | (402,289) |  |  | (35,616) |  |  | (36,144) |
The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the benefit obligation, fair value of plan assets, and funded status of the plans as of the October 31, 2021, and the October 25, 2020, measurement dates:
|  | Pension Benefits |  | Post-retirement Benefits
(in thousands) |  | 2021 |  | 2020 |  | 2021 |  | 2020
Change in Benefit Obligation |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Benefit Obligation at Beginning of Year |  | $ | 1,666,886 |  |  | $ | 1,616,177 |  |  | $ | 285,293 |  |  | $ | 290,946 |
Service Cost |  | 37,127 |  |  | 35,584 |  |  | 533 |  |  | 770 |
Interest Cost |  | 50,399 |  |  | 53,642 |  |  | 7,945 |  |  | 9,306 |
Actuarial (Gain) Loss |  | 34,247 |  |  | 77,447 |  |  | 1,539 |  |  | 2,362 |
Participant Contributions |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 2,113 |  |  | 2,344 |
Medicare Part D Subsidy |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 461 |  |  | 555 |
Benefits Paid |  | (76,702) |  |  | (115,965) |  |  | (23,218) |  |  | (20,990) |
Benefit Obligation at End of Year |  | $ | 1,711,958 |  |  | $ | 1,666,886 |  |  | $ | 274,666 |  |  | $ | 285,293 |
|  | Pension Benefits |  | Post-retirement Benefits
(in thousands) |  | 2021 |  | 2020 |  | 2021 |  | 2020
Change in Plan Assets |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Fair Value of Plan Assets at Beginning of Year |  | $ | 1,553,532 |  |  | $ | 1,477,288 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |
Actual Return on Plan Assets |  | 211,054 |  |  | 183,647 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Participant Contributions |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 2,113 |  |  | 2,344 |
Employer Contributions |  | 10,712 |  |  | 8,562 |  |  | 21,105 |  |  | 18,646 |
Benefits Paid |  | (76,702) |  |  | (115,965) |  |  | (23,218) |  |  | (20,990) |
Fair Value of Plan Assets at End of Year |  | $ | 1,698,596 |  |  | $ | 1,553,532 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |
Funded Status at End of Year |  | $ | (13,362) |  |  | $ | (113,354) |  |  | $ | (274,666) |  |  | $ | (285,293) |
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position as of October 31, 2021, and October 25, 2020, are as follows:
|  | Pension Benefits |  | Post-retirement Benefits
(in thousands) |  | 2021 |  | 2020 |  | 2021 |  | 2020
Pension Assets |  | $ | 289,096 |  |  | $ | 183,232 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |
Employee-related Expenses |  | (11,173) |  |  | (9,332) |  |  | (19,589) |  |  | (19,669) |
Pension and Post-retirement Benefits |  | (291,285) |  |  | (287,254) |  |  | (255,077) |  |  | (265,624) |
Net Amount Recognized |  | $ | (13,362) |  |  | $ | (113,354) |  |  | $ | (274,666) |  |  | $ | (285,293) |
The accumulated benefit obligation for all pension plans was $1.7 billion and $1.6 billion as of October 31, 2021, and October 25, 2020, respectively. The following table provides information for pension plans with projected and accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets:
(in thousands) |  | 2021 |  | 2020
Projected Benefit Obligation |  | $ | 302,458 |  |  | $ | 296,585 |
Accumulated Benefit Obligation |  | 292,877 |  |  | 288,359 |
Fair Value of Plan Assets |  | — |  |  | — |
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations are as follows:
|  | 2021 |  | 2020
Discount Rate |  | 3.00 | % |  | 3.06 | %
Rate of Future Compensation Increase (For Plans that Base Benefits on Final Compensation Level) |  | 4.14 | % |  | 4.09 | %
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit costs are as follows:
|  | 2021 |  | 2020 |  | 2019
Discount Rate |  | 3.06 | % |  | 3.37 | % |  | 4.55 | %
Rate of Future Compensation Increase (For Plans that Base Benefits on Final Compensation Level) |  | 4.09 | % |  | 4.06 | % |  | 3.96 | %
Expected Long-term Return on Plan Assets |  | 6.75 | % |  | 7.00 | % |  | 7.15 | %
The expected long-term rate of return on plan assets is based on fair value and developed in consultation with outside advisors. A range is determined based on the composition of the asset portfolio, historical long-term rates of return, and estimates of future performance. For measurement purposes, an 8 percent annual rate of increase in the per capita cost of covered health care benefits for pre-Medicare and post-Medicare retirees’ coverage is assumed for 2022. The pre-Medicare and post-Medicare rate is assumed to decrease to 5 percent for 2027 and remain steady thereafter. The Company’s funding policy is to make annual contributions of not less than the minimum required by applicable regulations. The Company expects to make contributions of $31.1 million during fiscal 2022 that represent benefit payments for unfunded plans. Benefits expected to be paid over the next ten fiscal years are as follows:
(in thousands) |  | Pension Benefits |  | Post-retirement Benefits
2022 |  | $ | 75,704 |  |  | $ | 19,832 |
2023 |  | 77,767 |  |  | 19,760 |
2024 |  | 79,870 |  |  | 19,445 |
2025 |  | 82,118 |  |  | 18,901 |
2026 |  | 86,066 |  |  | 18,265 |
2027-2031 |  | 459,902 |  |  | 80,310 |
Plan assets for certain defined benefit pension plans are held in the Hormel Foods Corporation Master Trust (Master Trust). The investment strategy for the Master Trust attempts to minimize the long-term cost of pension benefits, reduce the volatility of pension expense, and achieve a healthy funded status for the plans. The Company establishes target allocations in consultation with outside advisors through the use of asset-liability modeling in an effort to match the duration of the plan assets with the duration of the Company’s projected benefit liability. The actual and target weighted-average asset allocations for the Company’s pension plan assets as of the plan measurement date are as follows:
|  | 2021 | 2020
Asset Category |  | Actual % |  | Target Range % | Actual % |  | Target Range %
Fixed Income |  | 43.8 |  |  | 35-60 | 46.3 |  |  | 35-60
Global Stocks |  | 40.7 |  |  | 20-55 | 39.2 |  |  | 20-55
Private Equity |  | 6.4 |  |  | 0-10 | 5.4 |  |  | 0-10
Real Estate |  | 5.3 |  |  | 0-10 | 5.2 |  |  | 0-10
Hedge Funds |  | 2.6 |  |  | 0-10 | 2.4 |  |  | 0-10
Cash and Cash Equivalents |  | 1.1 |  |  | — | 1.5 |  |  | —
The following tables show the categories of defined benefit pension plan assets and the level under which fair values were determined pursuant to the provisions of ASC 820. Assets measured at fair value using the net asset value (NAV) per share practical expedient are not required to be classified in the fair value hierarchy. These amounts are provided to permit reconciliation to the total fair value of plan assets.
|  | Fair Value Measurements as of October 31, 2021
(in thousands) |  | Total Fair Value |  | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) |  | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) |  | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Plan Assets in Fair Value Hierarchy |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Cash Equivalents(1) |  | $ | 19,328 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 19,328 |  |  | $ | — |
Private Equity(2) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Domestic |  | 53,229 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 53,229 |
International |  | 56,190 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 56,190 |
Fixed Income(3) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
U.S. Government Issues |  | 262,181 |  |  | 164,357 |  |  | 97,824 |  |  | — |
Municipal Issues |  | 14,024 |  |  | — |  |  | 14,024 |  |  | — |
Corporate Issues – Domestic |  | 321,639 |  |  | — |  |  | 321,639 |  |  | — |
Corporate Issues – Foreign |  | 56,102 |  |  | — |  |  | 56,102 |  |  | — |
Global Stocks - Mutual Funds(4) |  | 94,115 |  |  | 94,115 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Plan Assets in Fair Value Hierarchy |  | $ | 876,808 |  |  | $ | 258,472 |  |  | $ | 508,917 |  |  | $ | 109,419 |
Plan Assets at Net Asset Value |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Real Estate – Domestic(5) |  | $ | 90,106 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Global Stocks - Collective Investment Funds(6) |  | 596,985 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Hedge Funds(7) |  | 44,848 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Fixed Income - Hedge Funds(8) |  | 62,609 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Fixed Income - Collective Investment Funds(9) |  | 27,239 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Plan Assets at Net Asset Value |  | $ | 821,787 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total Plan Assets at Fair Value |  | $ | 1,698,596 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  | Fair Value Measurements as of October 25, 2020
(in thousands) |  | Total Fair Value |  | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) |  | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) |  | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Plan Assets in Fair Value Hierarchy |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Cash Equivalents(1) |  | $ | 23,392 |  |  | $ | 1,294 |  |  | $ | 22,098 |  |  | $ | — |
Private Equity(2) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Domestic |  | 43,479 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 43,479 |
International |  | 40,359 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 40,359 |
Fixed Income(3) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
U.S. Government Issues |  | 239,239 |  |  | 158,525 |  |  | 80,714 |  |  | — |
Municipal Issues |  | 15,768 |  |  | — |  |  | 15,768 |  |  | — |
Corporate Issues – Domestic |  | 323,070 |  |  | — |  |  | 323,070 |  |  | — |
Corporate Issues – Foreign |  | 52,132 |  |  | — |  |  | 52,132 |  |  | — |
Global Stocks - Mutual Funds(4) |  | 151,175 |  |  | 151,175 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Plan Assets in Fair Value Hierarchy |  | $ | 888,614 |  |  | $ | 310,994 |  |  | $ | 493,782 |  |  | $ | 83,838 |
Plan Assets at Net Asset Value |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Real Estate – Domestic(5) |  | $ | 81,015 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Global Stocks - Collective Investment Funds(6) |  | 457,713 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Hedge Funds(7) |  | 37,293 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Fixed Income - Hedge Funds(8) |  | 51,956 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Fixed Income - Collective Investment Funds(9) |  | 36,941 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Plan Assets at Net Asset Value |  | $ | 664,918 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total Plan Assets at Fair Value |  | $ | 1,553,532 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for instruments measured at fair value, including the general classification of such instruments: (1) Cash Equivalents: These Level 1 and Level 2 investments consist primarily of highly liquid money market mutual funds traded in active markets in addition to highly liquid futures and T-bills with an observable daily settlement price. (2) Private Equity: These Level 3 investments consist of various collective investment funds, which are managed by a third party, invested in a well-diversified portfolio of equity investments from top performing, high quality firms focused on U.S. and foreign small to mid-markets, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs with a concentration in areas of innovation. Investment strategies include buyouts, growth capital, buildups, and distressed, as well as early stages of company development mainly in the U.S. The fair value of these funds is based on the fair value of the underlying investments. (3) Fixed Income: The Level 1 investments include U.S. Treasury bonds and notes, which are valued at the closing price reported on the active market in which the individual securities are traded. The Level 2 investments consist principally of U.S. government securities, which are valued daily using institutional bond quote sources and mortgage-backed securities pricing sources, and municipal, domestic, and foreign securities, which are valued daily using institutional bond quote sources. (4) Global Stocks - Mutual Fund: These Level 1 investments include open-ended mutual funds consisting of a mix of U.S. common stocks and foreign common stocks, which are valued at closing price reported on the active market in which the fund is traded. The investment strategy is to obtain long term capital appreciation by focusing on companies generating above average earnings growth and are leading growth businesses in the marketplace. There are no restrictions on redemptions. (5) Real Estate - Domestic: These investments include ownership in open-ended real estate funds, which manage diversified portfolios of commercial properties within the office, residential, retail, and industrial property sectors. Investment strategies aim to acquire, own, hold, or dispose of investments with the goal of achieving current income and/or capital appreciation. The real estate investments are valued at the NAV of shares held by the Master Trust. Requests to redeem shares are granted on a quarterly basis with either 45 or 90 days advance notice, subject to availability of cash. (6) Global Stocks - Collective Investment Funds: These investments include commingled funds consisting of a mix of U.S. common stocks and foreign common stocks. The collective investment funds are valued at the NAV of shares held by the Master Trust. The investment strategy is to obtain long term capital appreciation by focusing on companies generating above average earnings growth and are leading growth businesses in the marketplace. All funds are daily liquid with the exception of one that is available on the first business day of the month for subscriptions and withdrawals. (7) Hedge Funds: These investments are designed to provide diversification to an overall institutional portfolio and, in particular, provide protection against equity market downturns. They are comprised of Commodity Trading Advisor Managed Futures, Global Macro (Discretionary and/or Quant) and Long Volatility/Tail Risk Hedging strategies. The hedge funds are valued at the NAV of shares held by the Master Trust. Requests to redeem shares are granted daily, monthly or quarterly. (8) Fixed Income - Hedge Funds: These investments target absolute, risk-adjusted returns by taking advantage of price dislocations and inconsistencies within credit markets. Funds are comprised primarily of U.S. and European corporate credit and structured credit. The investments are valued at the NAV of shares held by the Master Trust. Requests to redeem shares are granted on a quarterly basis on the three year fund anniversary with a ninety day notice period. (9) Fixed Income - Collective Investment Funds: These investments include commingled funds consisting of a mix of U.S. government and investment grade corporate bonds. The collective investment funds are valued at NAV of the shares held by the Master Trust. The investment strategy is to achieve an investment return that approximates as closely to the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index over the long term by investing in the securities that comprise the benchmark. There are no restrictions on redemptions. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of the investments measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows:
(in thousands) |  | 2021 |  | 2020
Beginning Balance |  | $ | 83,838 |  |  | $ | 84,901 |
Purchases, Issuances, and Settlements (Net) |  | (23,151) |  |  | (10,151) |
Unrealized Gains (Losses)(1) |  | 26,879 |  |  | (4,577) |
Realized Gains |  | 604 |  |  | 8,130 |
Interest and Dividend Income |  | 21,248 |  |  | 5,535 |
Ending Balance |  | $ | 109,419 |  |  | $ | 83,838 |
(1) Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. During fiscal 2021, the value of the Level 3 investments ranged from $83.8 million to $109.4 million, with an average value of $97.6 million. The Company has commitments totaling $125.0 million for the private equity investments within the pension plans. The unfunded private equity commitment balance for each investment category as of October 31, 2021, and October 25, 2020, is as follows:
(in thousands) |  | 2021 |  | 2020
Domestic Equity |  | $ | 81 |  |  | $ | 203 |
International Equity |  | 9,794 |  |  | 15,919 |
Unfunded Commitment Balance |  | $ | 9,875 |  |  | $ | 16,122 |
Funding for future private equity capital calls will come from existing pension plan assets and not from additional cash contributions by the Company.

X
- References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_CompensationAndRetirementDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The entire disclosure for retirement benefits. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 55 -Paragraph 17 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123450688&loc=d3e4179-114921 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section S99 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21916913&loc=d3e273930-122802 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (d)(i) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (o) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (p) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 70 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49170846&loc=d3e28014-114942 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2235017 Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 60 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (c) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6414203&loc=d3e39689-114964 Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (d)(iv)(03) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920 Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (q) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920 Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (r)(1) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920 Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (d)(iii) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920 Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (l) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920 Reference 14: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (r)(2) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_PensionAndOtherPostretirementBenefitsDisclosureTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration