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CL or HSY or PM
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. The Hershey Company (HSY) vs. Philip Morris International (PM) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- CL has encountered recent volatility from market pressures and economic concerns, with shares down around 6% over the past month amid rising oil prices impacting consumer staples.
- HSY demonstrates robust year-to-date gains exceeding 20%, supported by strong confectionery demand and diversification into salty snacks, though facing cocoa cost headwinds.
- PM leads with consistent 19.7% one-year returns, driven by smoke-free product growth now comprising 41.5% of revenues, alongside a reliable $1.47 quarterly dividend.
- Consumer staples sector resilience favors defensive plays like these amid volatility, with PM showing superior relative momentum and transformation catalysts.
- Valuation contrasts highlight PM's attractive positioning versus HSY's elevated P/E above 50x and CL's recent dips.
Introduction
This comparison examines CL, HSY, and PM, three stalwarts in consumer staples offering stability amid market turbulence. CL dominates oral and home care, HSY leads in confectionery, and PM pivots to smoke-free alternatives. Investors seeking defensive exposure with dividends and growth potential, particularly in volatile environments influenced by inflation and commodity shifts, will find value in analyzing their relative performance, sector dynamics, and strategic trajectories for informed portfolio decisions.
CL Overview and Recent Performance
Colgate-Palmolive (CL) is a global leader in oral care, personal care, home care, and pet nutrition, with iconic brands like Colgate toothpaste and Hill's pet food. Operating in over 200 countries, it generates stable demand through everyday essentials. Recent market activity has pressured shares, down approximately 6% over the past month to around $90, amid rising oil prices, inflation concerns, and shifting consumer spending. A quarterly dividend increase to $0.53 per share underscores shareholder commitment, yielding about 2.4%, while leadership additions like Christopher Boerner to the board signal strategic focus. Long-term, CL boasts solid returns, with YTD gains near 13%, though recent volatility reflects broader economic headwinds impacting input costs and volumes.
HSY Overview and Recent Performance
The Hershey Company (HSY) specializes in confectionery, snacks, and pantry staples, holding top U.S. market share with brands like Hershey's, Reese's, and Kit Kat. Its segments include North America Confectionery, Salty Snacks, and International operations. Shares have shown resilience, trading near $220 with YTD returns over 21% and 1-year gains around 30%, outperforming peers despite cocoa price pressures. Recent weeks feature strategic partnerships like TogetherCocoa with industry peers for sustainability, alongside diversification into salty snacks via acquisitions. While elevated P/E near 50x reflects premium valuation, steady revenue growth from pricing and volume supports sentiment, positioning HSY as a consumer discretionary-staples hybrid amid favorable snacking trends.
PM Overview and Recent Performance
Philip Morris International (PM) is a premier tobacco firm transitioning to smoke-free products like IQOS heat-not-burn, ZYN pouches, and VEEV e-vapor, alongside traditional cigarettes. Available in over 100 markets, smoke-free offerings now drive 41.5% of revenues, reaching 43 million users. Shares hover around $175, delivering 19.7% 1-year returns and a compelling $1.47 quarterly dividend. Recent performance benefits from 12.8% smoke-free shipment growth and $40.6 billion full-year revenues, with adjusted EPS up 14.2% currency-neutral. Regulatory wins and $16 billion R&D investment bolster momentum, as PM navigates transformation amid declining combustibles, enhancing long-term stability and investor appeal.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
CL, HSY, and PM anchor consumer staples but diverge in models: CL's essentials-driven hygiene faces input inflation risks, contrasting HSY's indulgent snacking vulnerable to commodity swings like cocoa, and PM's high-margin nicotine shift mitigating regulatory drags. Growth drivers favor PM's 41% smoke-free revenues over HSY's diversification and CL's steady volumes. Recent momentum tilts to HSY (21% YTD) and PM (20% 1-year), versus CL's dips. Risks include PM's transition uncertainties, HSY's costs, and CL's economic sensitivity. PM offers best yield (5%+), HSY highest P/E sensitivity, with sentiment buoyed by defensives in choppy markets.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI models currently favor PM for its trend consistency in smoke-free acceleration, superior relative positioning with 41.5% high-margin revenues, and reliable catalysts like dividend hikes amid staples rotation. While HSY shows strong YTD momentum and CL defensive stability, PM's probabilistic edge in growth and yield makes it the standout for current 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 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).
CL’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileHSY’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s), and PM’s FA Score reflects 3 green FA rating(s).
- CL’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- HSY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- PM’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 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.
CL’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while HSY’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and PM’s TA Score reflects 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CL’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
- HSY’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- PM’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
CL (@Household/Personal Care) experienced а +0.08% price change this week, while HSY (@Food: Specialty/Candy) price change was -3.12% , and PM (@Tobacco) price fluctuated -3.20% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Household/Personal Care industry was +0.33%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +5.95%, and the average quarterly price growth was -8.17%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Food: Specialty/Candy industry was -3.97%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -2.43%, and the average quarterly price growth was -0.27%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Tobacco industry was +0.22%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +0.94%, and the average quarterly price growth was -9.36%.
Reported Earning Dates
CL is expected to report earnings on May 01, 2026.
HSY is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
PM is expected to report earnings on Apr 22, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Household/Personal Care (+0.33% 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.
@Food: Specialty/Candy (-3.97% 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.
@Tobacco (+0.22% 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.
| CL | HSY | PM | |
| Capitalization | 67B | 38.8B | 246B |
| EBITDA | 3.96B | 1.94B | 17.5B |
| Gain YTD | 7.016 | 5.895 | -0.900 |
| P/E Ratio | 31.76 | 44.11 | 21.69 |
| Revenue | 20.4B | 11.7B | 40.6B |
| Total Cash | N/A | 926M | N/A |
| Total Debt | 8.55B | 5.74B | 48.8B |
CL | HSY | PM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 10 | 55 | 67 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 98 Overvalued | 34 Fair valued | 22 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 70 | 72 | 19 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 5 | 46 | 3 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 57 | 59 | 60 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 46 | 7 | 83 | |
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.
PM's Valuation (22) in the Tobacco industry is in the same range as HSY (34) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for CL (98) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that PM's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and significantly faster than CL’s over the last 12 months.
PM's Profit vs Risk Rating (19) in the Tobacco industry is somewhat better than the same rating for CL (70) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for HSY (72) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry. This means that PM's stock grew somewhat faster than CL’s and somewhat faster than HSY’s over the last 12 months.
PM's SMR Rating (3) in the Tobacco industry is in the same range as CL (5) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for HSY (46) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry. This means that PM's stock grew similarly to CL’s and somewhat faster than HSY’s over the last 12 months.
CL's Price Growth Rating (57) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as HSY (59) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is in the same range as PM (60) in the Tobacco industry. This means that CL's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and similarly to PM’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 CL (46) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for PM (83) in the Tobacco industry. This means that HSY's stock grew somewhat faster than CL’s and significantly faster than PM’s over the last 12 months.
| CL | HSY | PM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 50% | 1 day ago 59% | 1 day ago 73% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 45% | 1 day ago 61% | 1 day ago 54% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 46% | N/A | 1 day ago 49% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 44% | N/A | 1 day ago 53% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 46% | 1 day ago 55% | 1 day ago 50% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 45% | 1 day ago 53% | 1 day ago 51% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 5 days ago 44% | 13 days ago 64% | 13 days ago 57% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 9 days ago 43% | 6 days ago 56% | 6 days ago 48% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 48% | 1 day ago 70% | N/A |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 47% | 1 day ago 57% | 1 day ago 32% |
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| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| SIXS | 55.32 | 0.10 | +0.18% |
| ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF | |||
| MBNE | 29.20 | 0.05 | +0.17% |
| State Street® Nuveen Muncpl Bd ESG ETF | |||
| KDEF | 62.07 | N/A | N/A |
| Plus Korea Defense Industry Index ETF | |||
| CGGO | 37.38 | -0.13 | -0.35% |
| Capital Group Global Growth Equity ETF | |||
| DPG | 14.50 | -0.14 | -0.96% |
| Duff & Phelps Utility and Infrastructure Fund | |||
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.