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EL or HSY or KR
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Hershey (HSY) vs. Kroger (KR) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- EL has faced share price volatility in recent weeks amid strategic acquisitions like Forest Essentials, trading at a discount to intrinsic value estimates while showing skincare growth potential.
- HSY demonstrates positive momentum with salty snacks expansion and upward analyst revisions, supported by resilient demand despite competitive pressures.
- KR reported Q4 earnings beats with e-commerce growth but issued conservative fiscal 2026 guidance, appointing a Chief Data and AI Officer amid store optimizations.
- Year-to-date, KR leads with approximately 19% gains, followed by HSY at 24%, while EL lags at -11%.
- HSY offers the highest dividend yield around 2.6%, with KR at 1.9% and EL at 1.5%.
- All three exhibit defensive consumer traits, but KR's lower beta (0.59) signals relative stability in volatile markets.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines EL (Estée Lauder), a prestige beauty leader; HSY (Hershey), a confectionery and snacks powerhouse; and KR (Kroger), a major grocery retailer. These consumer defensive names span beauty, snacks, and groceries, offering insights into sector resilience amid economic shifts. Traders seeking relative performance edges and investors eyeing dividend stability or growth catalysts will find value in their contrasting momentum, valuations, and market positioning in the current environment.
EL Overview and Recent Performance
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty, manufacturing and marketing skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care under brands like Estée Lauder, Clinique, La Mer, and Jo Malone London. In recent market activity, EL shares have shown volatility, declining around 7% over the past 30 days and 11% year-to-date, with a market cap near $33.5 billion. Key influences include the planned full acquisition of Indian brand Forest Essentials to bolster Asia presence and strength in skincare, offsetting broader challenges. Analysts note undervaluation per DCF models, with the stock near $93 amid a 52-week range of $48-122. Dividend yield stands at 1.5%.
HSY Overview and Recent Performance
The Hershey Company (HSY) manufactures confectionery, salty snacks, and pantry items, featuring icons like Hershey's, Reese's, and SkinnyPop. Recent performance reflects upward momentum, with shares up 6.5% in a recent week and year-to-date around 24%, trading near $225 in a 52-week range of $150-239, market cap about $45.6 billion. Growth in salty snacks and analyst price target hikes drive sentiment, supported by resilient demand and price hikes amid cocoa pressures. P/E ratio hovers near 52, with a robust dividend yield of 2.6%.
KR Overview and Recent Performance
The Kroger Co. (KR) operates over 2,700 supermarkets and multi-department stores across 35 states, with fuel centers, pharmacies, and e-commerce. Shares have gained about 19% year-to-date, closing near $74 in a 52-week range of $59-75, market cap around $47 billion. Recent Q4 earnings topped estimates with 20% e-commerce rise, though revenue slightly missed and FY2026 outlook tempered; a new Chief Data and AI Officer signals tech focus amid store closures. Trailing P/E at 66 reflects one-off factors, forward P/E 14, dividend yield 1.9%.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
EL’s prestige beauty model emphasizes premium skincare and fragrances with global brand power but exposes it to luxury cyclicality and Asia travel recovery risks, contrasting HSY’s stable confectionery/snacks focus amid commodity swings like cocoa. KR’s grocery retail offers everyday essentials scale via 2,700+ stores and e-commerce, buffering inflation but facing thin margins and competition. Growth drivers differ: EL via acquisitions, HSY salty snacks, KR AI/data initiatives. Recent momentum favors KR and HSY; EL lags. Risks include EL’s volatility (beta 1.1), HSY input costs, KR low beta (0.59) aids stability. Valuations show KR cheapest forward P/E (~14), HSY premium (52 trailing), EL negative earnings. Sentiment tilts positive for HSY analysts, mixed for others.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently leans toward HSY for its consistent recent momentum, salty snacks catalysts, and leading dividend yield amid defensive positioning. HSY shows superior trend stability relative to EL’s volatility and KR’s tempered outlook, though KR’s low beta offers probabilistic stability in uncertain 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
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).
EL’s FA Score shows that 0 FA rating(s) are green whileHSY’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s), and KR’s FA Score reflects 2 green FA rating(s).
- EL’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- HSY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- KR’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.
EL’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while HSY’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and KR’s TA Score reflects 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- EL’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 2 bearish.
- HSY’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
- KR’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
EL (@Household/Personal Care) experienced а +6.03% price change this week, while HSY (@Food: Specialty/Candy) price change was +2.26% , and KR (@Food Retail) price fluctuated -2.76% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Household/Personal Care industry was +2.02%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -0.74%, and the average quarterly price growth was -7.71%.
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 @Food Retail industry was +0.96%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -1.32%, and the average quarterly price growth was +3.18%.
Reported Earning Dates
EL is expected to report earnings on May 01, 2026.
HSY is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
KR is expected to report earnings on Jun 11, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Household/Personal Care (+2.02% 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 (+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.
@Food Retail (+0.96% weekly)The food retail industry includes companies that sell food, beverage and household products. Items sold include grocery, gourmet food, fresh produce, and frozen food. Kroger Co., George Weston Ltd., Grocery Outlet Holding Corp., and Sprouts Farmers Markets, Inc. are examples of major food retailers. While e-commerce companies like Amazon have increasingly been ramping-up offerings in the food retail space, several traditional players have also been expanding their online presence to stand their ground against rising competition.
| EL | HSY | KR | |
| Capitalization | 26.5B | 42.7B | 43.1B |
| EBITDA | 1.39B | 1.94B | 5.43B |
| Gain YTD | -29.794 | 16.620 | 13.161 |
| P/E Ratio | 147.80 | 48.58 | 45.68 |
| Revenue | 14.7B | 11.7B | 147B |
| Total Cash | 3.08B | 926M | 879M |
| Total Debt | 9.39B | 5.74B | 25.2B |
EL | HSY | KR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 59 | 5 | 55 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 53 Fair valued | 38 Fair valued | 57 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 100 | 61 | 21 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 90 | 45 | 77 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 64 | 49 | 50 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 34 | 5 | 8 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | n/a | 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.
HSY's Valuation (38) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is in the same range as EL (53) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is in the same range as KR (57) in the Food Retail industry. This means that HSY's stock grew similarly to EL’s and similarly to KR’s over the last 12 months.
KR's Profit vs Risk Rating (21) in the Food Retail 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 EL (100) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that KR's stock grew somewhat faster than HSY’s and significantly faster than EL’s over the last 12 months.
HSY's SMR Rating (45) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is in the same range as KR (77) in the Food Retail industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for EL (90) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that HSY's stock grew similarly to KR’s and somewhat faster than EL’s over the last 12 months.
HSY's Price Growth Rating (49) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is in the same range as KR (50) in the Food Retail industry, and is in the same range as EL (64) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that HSY's stock grew similarly to KR’s and similarly to EL’s over the last 12 months.
HSY's P/E Growth Rating (5) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is in the same range as KR (8) in the Food Retail industry, and is in the same range as EL (34) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that HSY's stock grew similarly to KR’s and similarly to EL’s over the last 12 months.
| EL | HSY | KR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 62% | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 63% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 56% | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 58% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 56% | 1 day ago 45% | 1 day ago 47% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 46% | 5 days ago 48% | 1 day ago 41% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 59% | 1 day ago 47% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 74% | 1 day ago 52% | 1 day ago 53% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 64% | 5 days ago 57% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 9 days ago 74% | 10 days ago 54% | 1 day ago 46% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 58% | 1 day ago 60% | 1 day ago 69% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 72% | 1 day ago 57% | 1 day ago 56% |
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| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| FTHY | 13.53 | 0.06 | +0.45% |
| First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund | |||
| EOCT | 32.92 | 0.10 | +0.31% |
| Innovator Emerg Mkts Pwr Bffr ETF™-Oct | |||
| MFSB | 25.08 | 0.02 | +0.08% |
| MFS Active Core Plus Bond ETF | |||
| IQRA | 29.60 | N/A | N/A |
| NYLI CBRE Real Assets ETF | |||
| VFLO | 40.16 | -0.30 | -0.73% |
| VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF | |||
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.