Advertisement
COST or HSY or KDP
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. The Hershey Company (HSY) vs. Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- COST leads with robust Q2 fiscal 2026 revenue growth of 9.1% and YTD returns around 17%, driven by membership fees and comparable sales gains.
- HSY shows strong YTD performance near 20%, bolstered by salty snacks expansion and Q4 2025 sales up 7%, though at a premium P/E over 49x.
- KDP trades undervalued with a P/E of 17.9 and analyst upside potential of 26%, supported by Q4 2025 revenue beats and Refreshment Beverages growth, despite softer YTD returns.
- Consumer staples sector provides defensive exposure, but COST exhibits superior momentum and stability amid recent market volatility.
- Valuation contrasts: KDP most attractive on multiples, HSY highest YTD gains, COST balanced growth with high renewal rates over 90%.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines COST, HSY, and KDP, three prominent consumer staples names offering resilience in volatile markets. COST represents warehouse retail, HSY confectionery leadership, and KDP diversified beverages. Traders seeking relative performance insights and investors eyeing defensive positioning with growth potential will find value here, particularly amid recent earnings beats and sector rotation toward staples. The analysis highlights recent momentum, valuations, and catalysts for informed stock comparison decisions.
COST Overview and Recent Performance
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) operates membership-based warehouses globally, emphasizing bulk sales and private-label Kirkland Signature products. In recent market activity, COST reported strong fiscal Q2 2026 results, with net sales up 9.1% to $68.24 billion and comparable sales rising 6.7%, fueled by membership fee growth and e-commerce gains. YTD returns hover around 17%, outperforming broader indices, supported by high renewal rates exceeding 90% in the US and Canada. Sentiment remains positive due to resilient traffic and margin expansion, though risks from Middle East tensions and tariff lawsuits temper gains. Trading near $1,008 with a 52-week range of $844-$1,067, COST reflects premium stability in retail.
HSY Overview and Recent Performance
The Hershey Company (HSY) dominates US confectionery with iconic brands like Reese's and Kit Kat, alongside expanding salty snacks. Recent weeks saw YTD returns near 20%, outpacing peers, driven by Q4 2025 net sales growth of 7% to $3.09 billion and full-year revenue up 4.4%. Analyst upgrades highlight salty snacks momentum and partnerships, though cocoa costs pose headwinds. Shares trade around $217, within a 52-week range of $150-$239, at a trailing P/E over 49x reflecting growth premium. Market sentiment favors HSY's pricing power and diversification, with recent multi-week gains underscoring defensive appeal amid consumer staples rotation.
KDP Overview and Recent Performance
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (KDP) leads in beverages with brands like Dr Pepper and Keurig systems, spanning soft drinks and coffee. In recent activity, Q4 2025 results beat estimates with revenue up 10.5% to $4.5 billion, led by 11.5% Refreshment Beverages growth; full-year sales hit $16.6 billion. Trading at $27.41 with a low P/E of 17.9 and 3.3% yield, analysts see 26% upside to $35+. YTD returns lag slightly negative, but shares rebounded in recent months amid acquisition news like JDE Peet's. 52-week range $25-$36 positions KDP as undervalued, with sentiment buoyed by innovation and distribution strength.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page spotlights over 25 top-performing AI trading bots curated from 351 total bots that trade thousands of tickers across stocks, ETFs, and crypto. These bots excel in current market conditions, delivering annualized returns from +16% to +209%, win rates of 52%-95%, and profit factors up to 25.8, with strategies spanning technical analysis, swing trading, trend following, and hedging on timeframes from 5 minutes to 60 days. Sectors like consumer staples feature prominently, including a bot trading COST, NFLX, HD, and PG at +23% annualized return and 72% win rate. Explore these diverse AI agents for real-time signals and copy trading to align with dynamic conditions.
Head-to-Head Comparison
COST, HSY, and KDP anchor consumer staples but diverge in models: COST's recurring memberships yield stable fees versus HSY's brand-driven confectionery and KDP's volume-based beverages. Growth drivers include COST's expansions and e-commerce, HSY's snacks innovation, and KDP's acquisitions. Recent momentum favors COST (17% YTD) and HSY (20% YTD) over KDP's flat performance. Risks encompass commodity inflation for HSY and KDP, tariffs for COST. KDP offers cheapest valuation (P/E 18x), HSY priciest (50x), with COST balanced. Sentiment tilts to COST's consistency in staples rotation.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors COST based on trend consistency, Q2 sales momentum, and relative YTD outperformance in staples. Its low-beta stability and catalysts like membership growth position it probabilistically stronger amid volatility, though HSY's upside and KDP's value warrant monitoring.
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).
COST’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whileHSY’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s), and KDP’s FA Score reflects 1 green FA rating(s).
- COST’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- HSY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- KDP’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.
COST’s TA Score shows that 7 TA indicator(s) are bullish while HSY’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and KDP’s TA Score reflects 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
- COST’s TA Score: 7 bullish, 4 bearish.
- HSY’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
- KDP’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
COST (@Discount Stores) experienced а +1.68% price change this week, while HSY (@Food: Specialty/Candy) price change was +2.26% , and KDP (@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic) price fluctuated +4.39% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Discount Stores industry was +0.71%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -1.87%, and the average quarterly price growth was +11.43%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Food: Specialty/Candy industry was +2.89%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +0.38%, and the average quarterly price growth was +6.38%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Beverages: Non-Alcoholic industry was +2.02%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -3.13%, and the average quarterly price growth was +164976.25%.
Reported Earning Dates
COST is expected to report earnings on Jul 29, 2026.
HSY is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
KDP is expected to report earnings on Apr 23, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Discount Stores (+0.71% weekly)Companies in the discount stores industry specialize in offering substantial discounts on a vast array of retail products. Some companies in this industry also operate general merchandise warehouse clubs. Products sold at discount stores are typically similar to those of any department store, but the pricing of the goods is generally much lower (and hence the name “discount”). Think Dollar General Corporation, Dollar Tree, Inc. and Five Below, Inc. Many discount stores target low-income households and/or price-sensitive consumers as their potential market. Discount stores’ profitability could hinge on factors like competitive pricing, sufficient locations, healthy revenue per square foot, and effective advertisement. These store operators could have an edge over other retailers during financial crises or recessions, when many consumers could be looking for less expensive alternatives.
@Food: Specialty/Candy (+2.89% 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.
@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic (+2.02% weekly)Non-alcoholic drinks include traces of alcohol or low alcohol content or without alcohol or alcohol removed. Functional Beverages, Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs), Sports Drinks, Fruit Beverages, and Bottled Water are some common types of non-alcoholic beverages. The largest segment in this market is soft drinks (think Pepsi and Coke). Many established companies in this space have also been stepping up production of low to zero-calorie varieties in recent years, to cater to a rising number of health-conscious consumers. Coca-Cola Company, Pepsico Inc, Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. and Monster Beverage Corporation are some major non-alcoholic beverage makers.
| COST | HSY | KDP | |
| Capitalization | 458B | 42.7B | 35.9B |
| EBITDA | 13.7B | 1.94B | 4.19B |
| Gain YTD | 19.841 | 16.620 | -4.056 |
| P/E Ratio | 53.67 | 48.58 | 17.27 |
| Revenue | 280B | 11.7B | 16.6B |
| Total Cash | 17.2B | 926M | N/A |
| Total Debt | 8.1B | 5.74B | 17.6B |
COST | HSY | KDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 21 | 5 | 61 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 94 Overvalued | 38 Fair valued | 25 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 9 | 61 | 100 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 31 | 45 | 74 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 35 | 49 | 62 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 66 | 5 | 94 | |
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.
KDP's Valuation (25) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is in the same range as HSY (38) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for COST (94) in the Specialty Stores industry. This means that KDP's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and significantly faster than COST’s over the last 12 months.
COST's Profit vs Risk Rating (9) in the Specialty Stores industry is somewhat better than the same rating for HSY (61) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for KDP (100) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that COST's stock grew somewhat faster than HSY’s and significantly faster than KDP’s over the last 12 months.
COST's SMR Rating (31) in the Specialty Stores industry is in the same range as HSY (45) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for KDP (74) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that COST's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and somewhat faster than KDP’s over the last 12 months.
COST's Price Growth Rating (35) in the Specialty Stores industry is in the same range as HSY (49) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is in the same range as KDP (62) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that COST's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and similarly to KDP’s over the last 12 months.
HSY's P/E Growth Rating (5) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is somewhat better than the same rating for COST (66) in the Specialty Stores industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for KDP (94) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that HSY's stock grew somewhat faster than COST’s and significantly faster than KDP’s over the last 12 months.
| COST | HSY | KDP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 33% | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 68% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 37% | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 46% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 67% | 1 day ago 45% | 1 day ago 40% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 4 days ago 48% | 1 day ago 45% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 59% | 1 day ago 44% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 62% | 1 day ago 52% | 1 day ago 43% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 49% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 18 days ago 38% | 9 days ago 54% | 8 days ago 45% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 33% | 1 day ago 60% | 3 days ago 65% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 55% | 1 day ago 57% | 1 day ago 35% |
Advertisement
COST and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, COST has been loosely correlated with WMT. These tickers have moved in lockstep 62% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if COST jumps, then WMT could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To COST | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | 100% | +0.17% | ||
| WMT - COST | 62% Loosely correlated | +1.47% | ||
| BJ - COST | 45% Loosely correlated | -1.58% | ||
| OLLI - COST | 32% Poorly correlated | -5.05% | ||
| PSMT - COST | 31% Poorly correlated | +2.94% | ||
| TGT - COST | 23% Poorly correlated | +0.74% | ||
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.
KDP and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KDP has been loosely correlated with PEP. These tickers have moved in lockstep 51% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KDP jumps, then PEP could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To KDP | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KDP | 100% | +2.24% | ||
| PEP - KDP | 51% Loosely correlated | +1.74% | ||
| KO - KDP | 49% Loosely correlated | +1.15% | ||
| FIZZ - KDP | 42% Loosely correlated | +2.34% | ||
| MNST - KDP | 34% Loosely correlated | +1.40% | ||
| CCEP - KDP | 32% Poorly correlated | +0.49% | ||
More | ||||