COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
DAR vs HSY
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. DAR scored 62.4, HSY scored 65.9 — HSY leads.
Compare another set
DAR
Darling Ingredients Inc.
62.4
$65.74 · $10.4B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
3.5
HSY leads
HSY
The Hershey Company
65.9
$186.46 · $37.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestDAR17.7x
- Fastest growthDAR+14.9%
- Strongest balance sheetDAR0.79
- Highest qualityHSY82 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueHSY-14%
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)
DAR
stronger →← stronger
HSY
63
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
82
86
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
76
44
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
46
HSY is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
DAR
HSY
$971mC+
FCF
$2.2bB
+14.9%B+
Rev
+7.7%B
0.79B
D/E
1.30C+
17.7xB+
P/E
25.4xC+
4.31D
PEG
1.07B+
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
DAR
HSY
11% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
14% below
~-4%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~6%/yr
+25%
1-yr DCF upside
-1%
+13%
5-yr DCF upside
+17%
-3%
10-yr DCF upside
+49%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
The companies
DARDarling Ingredients Inc.
Why now
Packaged Foods · market cap $10.4b. 6% off the 52-week high of $69.98. Revenue growing +15%, comfortably above the S&P median. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $78.58 (implying +20% upside).
Moat
ROE 11% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 162% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
HSYThe Hershey Company
Why now
Confectioners · market cap $37.5b. Down 22% from 52-week high of $239.48 — deep drawdown territory. 21 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $205.81 (implying +10% 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, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
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 DAR and HSY diverge
On the headline score the gap is 3.5 points in favor of HSY. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- QualityDAR 63.5 · HSY 81.7HSY +18.2
- GrowthDAR 86.4 · HSY 75.9DAR +10.5
- ValueDAR 44.3 · HSY 46.1level
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a 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.