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BTI or DEO or HSY
Which Stock Would AI Choose? British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Diageo (DEO) vs. The Hershey Company (HSY) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- BTI leads with a compelling 5.52% dividend yield and low trailing P/E of 13.08, bolstered by 2.1% revenue growth from smokeless products in recent reporting.
- DEO offers a solid 4.32% yield but faces softening demand headwinds, reflected in its 17.78 trailing P/E and YTD outperformance versus benchmarks.
- HSY shows strongest YTD gain at 20.42% with recent Q4 strength in shelf-stable foods, though its high 50.28 P/E signals elevated valuation.
- All three exhibit low betas (BTI 0.06, DEO 0.17, HSY 0.11), providing defensive stability amid market volatility.
- BTI boasts the largest market cap at $131B, followed by HSY ($44B) and DEO ($43B).
- Consumer staples positioning favors dividend-focused investors seeking relative performance in uncertain conditions.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines BTI, DEO, and HSY, three consumer defensive giants in tobacco, beverages, and confectionery. These stocks appeal to income-oriented traders and long-term investors prioritizing stability, dividends, and resilience against economic cycles. Amid recent market activity, their low-volatility profiles and sector exposure highlight contrasts in growth drivers, valuation, and sentiment, aiding decisions on relative performance and market positioning.
BTI Overview and Recent Performance
British American Tobacco (BTI), a global leader in tobacco and nicotine products, operates across combustibles, vapor, heated tobacco, and modern oral categories. Headquartered in London, it serves markets worldwide with brands like Vuse, Glo, and Velo. In recent market activity, BTI shares traded around $60.55, reflecting resilience with a YTD return of 6.94% and 56.09% over one year. Key influences include 2.1% revenue growth for 2025 driven by smokeless segments, attracting dividend seekers despite share fluctuations. Its low beta of 0.06 underscores defensive appeal, with strong profit margins at 30.32% supporting sentiment.
DEO Overview and Recent Performance
Diageo (DEO), a premier alcoholic beverages firm, produces and distributes spirits like Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Guinness across nearly 180 countries. Based in London, it emphasizes premium drinks growth. Recently, DEO hovered near $76.81, with YTD gains of 11.30% outperforming the FTSE 100 and 26.78% one-year return. Sentiment reflects mixed demand headwinds in spirits, alongside innovations like new Johnnie Walker variants and St. Patrick's Day promotions. Beta at 0.17 signals stability, though softening trends have pressured shares in recent weeks.
HSY Overview and Recent Performance
The Hershey Company (HSY), an iconic U.S. confectioner, manufactures chocolate, snacks, and pantry items under brands like Hershey's, Reese's, and Twizzlers. From Hershey, Pennsylvania, it exports to 65 countries. In recent trading, HSY stood at $217.71, leading YTD at 20.42% versus the S&P 500's 1.89%, with 31.62% one-year gains. Strong Q4 shelf-stable results and salty snack expansions have boosted sentiment, outpacing the sector despite a high valuation. Low beta of 0.11 reinforces its safe-haven status.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
BTI, DEO, and HSY anchor consumer staples with tobacco's recession resistance contrasting beverages' premium cyclicality and confectionery's impulse-driven growth. BTI's smokeless pivot drives revenue amid declining combustibles, offering superior yield (5.52%) but regulatory risks. DEO leverages brand moats in spirits yet grapples with demand softness, balancing mid-teens P/E and 4.32% yield. HSY excels in salty snacks diversification, fueling momentum but at a premium 50.28 P/E versus peers' teens. All share low betas for stability, though BTI's scale ($131B cap) edges valuation sensitivity lower. Sentiment favors HSY's recent strength against DEO's headwinds, with trade-offs in growth versus income.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI leans toward BTI in the current environment, citing its trend consistency via smokeless growth, unmatched yield stability, and attractive valuation amid defensive positioning. While HSY shows superior momentum and DEO benchmark outperformance, BTI's relative low P/E and catalysts position it favorably for probabilistic edge in staples rotation.
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
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).
BTI’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whileDEO’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s), and HSY’s FA Score reflects 1 green FA rating(s).
- BTI’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- DEO’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- HSY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 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.
BTI’s TA Score shows that 3 TA indicator(s) are bullish while DEO’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and HSY’s TA Score reflects 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- BTI’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 6 bearish.
- DEO’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- HSY’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
BTI (@Tobacco) experienced а -3.62% price change this week, while DEO (@Beverages: Alcoholic) price change was +6.79% , and HSY (@Food: Specialty/Candy) price fluctuated -4.78% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Tobacco industry was -1.34%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -0.47%, and the average quarterly price growth was -9.25%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Beverages: Alcoholic industry was +2.91%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +0.98%, and the average quarterly price growth was -17.71%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Food: Specialty/Candy industry was -2.68%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -2.45%, and the average quarterly price growth was +1.01%.
Reported Earning Dates
BTI is expected to report earnings on Apr 28, 2026.
DEO is expected to report earnings on May 06, 2026.
HSY is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Tobacco (-1.34% weekly)The industry is engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products like cigarettes. In 2017, tobacco companies spent an estimated $9.36 billion marketing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in the U.S. – an amount that translates to more than $25 million each day (according to a CDC report). Philip Morris International Inc., Altria Group Inc., and British American Tobacco plc are some major cigar makers. In recent times, vaping or the use of e-cigarette (does not burn tobacco) is gaining momentum – several established cigarette makers are trying to expand their footprint in this new market.
@Beverages: Alcoholic (+2.91% weekly)The alcoholic beverage market includes beer, wine, and spirits. From $230 billion in 2015, the industry has grown to around $250 billion by 2019. In recent years, alcoholic beverage makers have been looking to expand distribution and purchase channels, such as through online stores (e.g. e-commerce platform Drizly) and convenience stores. Anheuser-Busch In Bev and Diageo are major global alcoholic beverage companies, while U.S.-owned companies include Constellation Brands and Brown-Forman Corp. among several others.
@Food: Specialty/Candy (-2.68% 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.
| BTI | DEO | HSY | |
| Capitalization | 121B | 45.7B | 39B |
| EBITDA | 14.1B | 6.39B | 1.94B |
| Gain YTD | 1.561 | -4.130 | 6.547 |
| P/E Ratio | 11.96 | 18.92 | 44.38 |
| Revenue | 25.6B | 19.8B | 11.7B |
| Total Cash | N/A | 905M | 926M |
| Total Debt | N/A | 23.5B | 5.74B |
BTI | DEO | HSY | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 79 | 12 | 7 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 12 Undervalued | 20 Undervalued | 34 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 13 | 100 | 71 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 99 | 98 | 46 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 50 | 60 | 59 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 95 | 50 | 7 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 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.
BTI's Valuation (12) in the Tobacco industry is in the same range as DEO (20) in the Beverages Alcoholic industry, and is in the same range as HSY (34) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry. This means that BTI's stock grew similarly to DEO’s and similarly to HSY’s over the last 12 months.
BTI's Profit vs Risk Rating (13) in the Tobacco industry is somewhat better than the same rating for HSY (71) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for DEO (100) in the Beverages Alcoholic industry. This means that BTI's stock grew somewhat faster than HSY’s and significantly faster than DEO’s over the last 12 months.
HSY's SMR Rating (46) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is somewhat better than the same rating for DEO (98) in the Beverages Alcoholic industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for BTI (99) in the Tobacco industry. This means that HSY's stock grew somewhat faster than DEO’s and somewhat faster than BTI’s over the last 12 months.
BTI's Price Growth Rating (50) in the Tobacco industry is in the same range as HSY (59) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is in the same range as DEO (60) in the Beverages Alcoholic industry. This means that BTI's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and similarly to DEO’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 DEO (50) in the Beverages Alcoholic industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for BTI (95) in the Tobacco industry. This means that HSY's stock grew somewhat faster than DEO’s and significantly faster than BTI’s over the last 12 months.
| BTI | DEO | HSY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | N/A | 3 days ago 59% | 3 days ago 53% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 60% | 3 days ago 53% | 3 days ago 66% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 49% | 3 days ago 54% | N/A |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 51% | 3 days ago 51% | N/A |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 42% | 3 days ago 45% | 3 days ago 55% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 37% | 3 days ago 41% | 3 days ago 53% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 12 days ago 61% | 3 days ago 42% | 11 days ago 64% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 43% | about 1 month ago 59% | 4 days ago 56% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 50% | 3 days ago 71% | 3 days ago 70% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 50% | 3 days ago 57% | 3 days ago 57% |
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BTI and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, BTI has been loosely correlated with MO. These tickers have moved in lockstep 52% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if BTI jumps, then MO could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To BTI | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTI | 100% | +0.96% | ||
| MO - BTI | 52% Loosely correlated | -1.19% | ||
| IMBBY - BTI | 46% Loosely correlated | +0.74% | ||
| PM - BTI | 43% Loosely correlated | +0.99% | ||
| BTAFF - BTI | 38% Loosely correlated | -5.13% | ||
| UVV - BTI | 30% Poorly correlated | +1.27% | ||
More | ||||
HSY and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, HSY has been loosely correlated with KHC. These tickers have moved in lockstep 58% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if HSY jumps, then KHC could also see price increases.