COMPARE · Data as of August 24, 2026
HSY vs KHC
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. HSY scored 66.2, KHC scored 37.1 — HSY leads.
Compare another set
HSY
The Hershey Company
66.2
$189.94 · $38.2B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
29.1
HSY leads
KHC
The Kraft Heinz Company
37.1
$25.67 · $30.4B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthHSY+7.7%
- Strongest balance sheetKHC0.53
- Highest qualityHSY82 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueKHC-44%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
HSY
stronger →← stronger
KHC
82
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
44
76
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
14
47
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
82
HSY is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
HSY
KHC
$2.2bB
FCF
$3.8bB
+7.7%B
Rev
-1.6%D+
1.30C+
D/E
0.53B+
25.9xC+
P/E
—
1.06B+
PEG
0.99B+
—
P/S
1.2xB
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
HSY
KHC
13% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
44% below
~7%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~-12%/yr
-3%
1-yr DCF upside
+83%
+15%
5-yr DCF upside
+80%
+46%
10-yr DCF upside
+77%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
The companies
HSYThe Hershey Company
Why now
Confectioners · market cap $38.2b. Down 21% 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 $205.52 (implying +8% 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.
KHCThe Kraft Heinz Company
Why now
Packaged Foods · market cap $30.4b. 9% off the 52-week high of $28.09. PEG 0.99 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 17 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $25.09 (implying -2% upside).
Moat
Turnaround / out-of-favor name — GAAP-unprofitable for now, so the durability case is forward-looking: it rests on a recovery (margin normalization, a cyclical upturn or restructuring) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than on current reported results.
Risk
Currently unprofitable (margin -13.6%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. Dividend payout 73% of earnings on a 6.3% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. ROE -9% 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.
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 HSY and KHC diverge
On the headline score the gap is 29.1 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.
- GrowthHSY 75.9 · KHC 14.1HSY +61.8
- QualityHSY 81.7 · KHC 44.2HSY +37.5
- ValueHSY 46.9 · KHC 81.6KHC +34.7
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.