Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. HSY scored 60.7, LW scored 42.4 — HSY leads.
Compare another set
HSY
The Hershey Company
Confectioners · Quality-Growth
60.7
$162.74 · $32.7B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
18.3
HSY leads
LW
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
Packaged Foods · Quality-Growth
42.4
$47.87 · $6.6B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestHSY22.2x
Fastest growthHSY+4.4%
Strongest balance sheetHSY1.30
Highest qualityHSY82 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueLW-28%
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)
HSY
stronger →← stronger
LW
82
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
65
66
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
47
41
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
25
HSY is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
HSY
LW
$2.2bB
FCF
$540mC+
+4.4%C+
Rev
+2.5%C
1.30C+
D/E
2.19C
22.2xB
P/E
26.2xC+
0.82B+
PEG
0.81B+
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
LW
9% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
28% below
~4%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~-1%/yr
+5%
1-yr DCF upside
+28%
+10%
5-yr DCF upside
+39%
+18%
10-yr DCF upside
+54%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
The companies
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.
LWLamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
Packaged Foods · $47.87 · beta 0.47
Why now
Packaged Foods · market cap $6.6b. Down 29% from 52-week high of $67.07 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.81 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $56.00 (implying +17% upside).
Moat
ROE 14% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of depreciation and amortization ($397m) — non-cash charges that hold down reported earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
D/E 2.19 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Net margin 3.8% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
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 LW diverge
On the headline score the gap is 18.3 points in favor of HSY. The widest single difference is Growth, where HSY leads by 18.5 points.
GrowthHSY 65.9 · LW 47.4HSY +18.5
QualityHSY 82.4 · LW 65.2HSY +17.2
ValueHSY 41.2 · LW 24.7HSY +16.5
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 LW the better stock?
HSY scores higher: HSY 60.7, LW 42.4 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 LW differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where HSY leads by 19 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 LW 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.