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HSY vs KMB
Which Stock Would AI Choose? The Hershey Company (HSY) vs. Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- HSY has shown stronger recent momentum, with shares up over 10% in the past month and 23% year-to-date, driven by salty snacks growth and analyst upgrades.
- KMB offers a high dividend yield of about 4.88% and stability as a Dividend King, but shares have declined around 26% over the past year amid operational challenges.
- Both consumer staples stocks provide defensive exposure, but HSY exhibits better relative performance in recent market activity compared to peers.
- HSY's salty snacks segment grew 28%, boosting sentiment, while KMB focuses on transformation and potential Kenvue acquisition for growth.
- Recent weeks show HSY pulling back slightly from highs near $239, while KMB trades around $104 after volatility.
Introduction
The Hershey Company (HSY) and Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) represent stalwarts in the consumer staples sector, offering essential products like confectionery and personal care items. This stock comparison analyzes their recent performance, business drivers, and market positioning amid shifting consumer trends and economic pressures. Investors seeking defensive plays with dividends or growth potential in staples, as well as traders eyeing relative momentum in stock comparison scenarios, will find value in understanding how HSY and KMB stack up in the current environment.
HSY Overview and Recent Performance
The Hershey Company (HSY), a leading chocolate and confectionery maker, has benefited from robust demand in its salty snacks segment, which saw 28% sales growth amid strong retail uptake. Recent market activity reflects positive sentiment, with shares rising over 10% in the past month and 23% year-to-date, outperforming consumer staples peers by a wide margin. Analyst upgrades and price target increases have supported this trend, despite cocoa cost pressures. Earnings surprises, like a 21.79% beat in the latest quarter, alongside 7% quarterly revenue growth, have influenced upward momentum. Shares recently traded around $225 after peaking near $239, highlighting volatility but sustained relative strength.
KMB Overview and Recent Performance
Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB), known for brands like Huggies and Kleenex, emphasizes personal care and tissue products with a focus on operational transformation. Recent weeks have seen shares fluctuate around $104-$110, with year-to-date gains of about 5% but a 26% decline over the past year from highs near $150. Dividend reliability remains a highlight, with 53 years of increases yielding 4.88%. Q4 adjusted operating profit rose 13%, supported by organic growth, though broader pressures like input costs have weighed on momentum. Potential Kenvue acquisition talks add a growth catalyst, stabilizing sentiment in recent market activity.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
HSY and KMB both anchor consumer staples, but diverge in business models: HSY leverages confectionery and expanding snacks for growth (28% segment rise), while KMB prioritizes essential hygiene with steady demand. Recent momentum favors HSY (24% three-month gain vs. KMB's flat), though KMB's 4.88% yield trumps HSY's 2.5%. Risk factors include commodity costs for both, but HSY shows higher volatility from earnings beats, versus KMB's transformation focus. Sector exposure overlaps in defensives, yet HSY edges in sentiment from upgrades, while KMB appeals for income stability.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors HSY due to superior trend consistency, recent outperformance versus staples peers, and catalysts like snacks growth and earnings momentum. While KMB offers dividend stability, HSY's relative positioning suggests higher probability of near-term upside in volatile conditions.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is HSY is a Hold and KMB is a Buy.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
HSY’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileKMB’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- HSY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- KMB’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
HSY’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while KMB’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- HSY’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- KMB’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
HSY (@Food: Specialty/Candy) experienced а -3.12% price change this week, while KMB (@Household/Personal Care) price change was +2.01% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Food: Specialty/Candy industry was -5.83%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -3.82%, and the average quarterly price growth was +0.11%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Household/Personal Care industry was -0.34%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +5.29%, and the average quarterly price growth was -8.68%.
Reported Earning Dates
HSY is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
KMB is expected to report earnings on Apr 28, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Food: Specialty/Candy (-5.83% weekly)A specialty/candy manufacturer specializes in one or more of the following: chocolate, candies, pasta, condiments, seasonings, among other items. Hershey Company, McCormick & Company and J.M. Smucker Company are some of the major firms in this segment. Demand for this industry’s products comes from both institutions/restaurants as well as households.
@Household/Personal Care (-0.34% weekly)Household/Personal Care companies sell products for home cleaning and/or personal hygiene and grooming purposes. Products of this industry include detergents, shampoos, soaps, cosmetics, fabric conditioners and infant care fragrances. Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Estee Lauder and Colgate-Palmolive are some of the biggest names in the business. A lot of the products become a necessary part of people’s daily routine, and therefore the industry is relatively less vulnerable to macroeconomic downturns. At the same time, product quality, consumer safety, and ease of use are extremely critical factors for a company to survive competition and earn recognition in this industry.
| HSY | KMB | HSY / KMB | |
| Capitalization | 38.8B | 32.7B | 119% |
| EBITDA | 1.94B | 3.11B | 62% |
| Gain YTD | 5.895 | -1.123 | -525% |
| P/E Ratio | 44.11 | 20.28 | 218% |
| Revenue | 11.7B | 16.4B | 71% |
| Total Cash | 926M | 774M | 120% |
| Total Debt | 5.74B | 7.3B | 79% |
HSY | KMB | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 55 | 60 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 34 Fair valued | 15 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 72 | 100 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 46 | 11 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 59 | 62 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 7 | 53 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
KMB's Valuation (15) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as HSY (34) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry. This means that KMB’s stock grew similarly to HSY’s over the last 12 months.
HSY's Profit vs Risk Rating (72) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is in the same range as KMB (100) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that HSY’s stock grew similarly to KMB’s over the last 12 months.
KMB's SMR Rating (11) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is somewhat better than the same rating for HSY (46) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry. This means that KMB’s stock grew somewhat faster than HSY’s over the last 12 months.
HSY's Price Growth Rating (59) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is in the same range as KMB (62) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that HSY’s stock grew similarly to KMB’s over the last 12 months.
HSY's P/E Growth Rating (7) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is somewhat better than the same rating for KMB (53) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that HSY’s stock grew somewhat faster than KMB’s over the last 12 months.
| HSY | KMB | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 59% | 1 day ago 43% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 61% | 1 day ago 47% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | N/A | 1 day ago 47% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | N/A | 1 day ago 48% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 55% | 1 day ago 43% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 53% | 1 day ago 46% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 13 days ago 64% | 5 days ago 42% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 6 days ago 56% | 9 days ago 48% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 52% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 57% | 1 day ago 42% |
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