Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ADM scored 42.5, HSY scored 60.7 — HSY leads.
Compare another set
ADM
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
Farm Products · Quality-Growth
42.5
$79.89 · $38.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
18.2
HSY leads
HSY
The Hershey Company
Confectioners · Quality-Growth
60.7
$162.74 · $32.7B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestHSY22.2x
Fastest growthHSY+4.4%
Strongest balance sheetADM0.39
Highest qualityHSY82 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueHSY-9%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
ADM
stronger →← stronger
HSY
56
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
82
43
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
66
32
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
41
HSY is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ADM
HSY
$1.7bC+
FCF
$2.2bB
-6.2%D
Rev
+4.4%C+
0.39B+
D/E
1.30C+
22.6xC+
P/E
22.2xB
0.98B+
PEG
0.82B+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
ADM
HSY
9% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
9% below
~6%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~4%/yr
-9%
1-yr DCF upside
+5%
-8%
5-yr DCF upside
+10%
-8%
10-yr DCF upside
+18%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
The companies
ADMArcher-Daniels-Midland Company
Farm Products · $79.89 · beta 0.63
Why now
Farm Products · market cap $38.5b. 10% off the 52-week high of $88.75. Revenue -6% — in contraction; any catalyst that reverses this triggers re-rating. PEG 0.98 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 10 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $80.40 (implying +1% upside).
Moat
Moat signals from the quantitative card are modest — profitability and capital efficiency are middle-of-pack. The thesis here depends on softer factors (switching costs, brand, distribution, regulatory protection) not captured by the quality-growth screen.
Risk
Revenue contracting -6% — the operational turn is not yet visible in the top line. Net margin 2.2% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first. ROE 8% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
HSYThe Hershey Company
Confectioners · $162.74 · beta 0.09
Why now
Confectioners · market cap $32.7b. Down 32% from 52-week high of $239.48 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.82 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 21 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $202.19 (implying +24% upside).
Moat
Net margin 12% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 33% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 150% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Down 32% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where ADM and HSY diverge
On the headline score the gap is 18.2 points in favor of HSY. The widest single difference is Quality, where HSY leads by 26.6 points.
QualityADM 55.8 · HSY 82.4HSY +26.6
GrowthADM 42.6 · HSY 65.9HSY +23.3
ValueADM 32.3 · HSY 41.2HSY +8.9
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is HSY or ADM the better stock?
HSY scores higher: HSY 60.7, ADM 42.5 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do HSY and ADM differ most?
The widest gap is quality, where HSY leads by 27 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. HSY leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are HSY and ADM scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.