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HSY or KMB or KO
Which Stock Would AI Choose? The Hershey Company (HSY) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. The Coca-Cola Company (KO) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- HSY has shown robust recent momentum with salty snacks sales surging 28% and shares up over 20% year-to-date, outperforming consumer staples peers.
- KMB offers a high dividend yield around 4.9%, appealing for income investors, though shares have declined about 25% over the past year amid market pressures.
- KO demonstrates stability with 10%+ YTD gains, strong EPS growth of 23%, and a reliable 2.7% dividend yield as a Dividend King.
- HSY leads in short-term relative performance, while KO excels in market cap scale at $331B and consistent revenue growth.
- All three provide defensive exposure in consumer staples, but KMB faces higher volatility with recent underperformance versus broader indices.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines HSY, KMB, and KO, three stalwarts in the consumer staples sector known for essential products like confectionery, personal care, and beverages. Investors seeking defensive plays with dividends and resilience in volatile markets may find value here. Recent market activity highlights contrasts in momentum, growth drivers, and yield profiles, aiding traders in assessing relative performance and positioning amid shifting sentiment in staples stocks.
HSY Overview and Recent Performance
The Hershey Company (HSY) is a leading confectionery and snacks producer, with iconic brands like Hershey's and Reese's driving its portfolio. In recent market activity, HSY shares have gained significantly, up over 20% year-to-date and 10% in the past month, fueled by a 28% surge in North America salty snacks sales to $357 million, bolstered by acquisitions like LesserEvil and organic volume growth. Sentiment has improved on resilient demand and analyst upgrades, though cocoa costs remain a watchpoint. Trading around $225 with a market cap near $46 billion, HSY reflects strong momentum in a sector favoring growth pockets.
KMB Overview and Recent Performance
Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) specializes in personal care and consumer tissue products, including Huggies and Kleenex. Recent weeks have seen KMB shares trade around $105 with modest YTD gains of about 4%, underperforming broader indices like the Dow over the past year with a 23% decline. Influences include strategic moves like a potential $48.7 billion Kenvue acquisition and productivity enhancements, offsetting market sell-offs. As a Dividend King with a 4.9% yield, KMB appeals for income stability, with a $35 billion market cap underscoring its scale despite short-term pressures.
KO Overview and Recent Performance
The Coca-Cola Company (KO) dominates non-alcoholic beverages with a global portfolio. In recent market conditions, KO shares hover near $77, posting 10% YTD returns amid a leadership transition to Henrique Braun as CEO. Key drivers include 2% net revenue growth to $47.9 billion and 23% EPS rise to $3.04 for 2025, supported by pricing and volume resilience. With a massive $331 billion market cap and 2.7% dividend yield over 60+ years of increases, KO embodies steady sentiment in staples, navigating currency and cost challenges effectively.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
HSY, KMB, and KO operate in defensive consumer staples but diverge in models: HSY's confectionery/snacks emphasize indulgent growth via salty snacks expansion, contrasting KMB's essential hygiene products and KO's beverage scale. Recent momentum favors HSY with 20%+ YTD gains versus KO's 10% and KMB's 4%, reflecting snacks demand over tissue/beverage stability. Risk factors include commodity costs for all, but KMB shows higher beta amid underperformance. Valuation sensitivity is elevated for HSY post-rally, while KO trades at a premium P/E for its $331B cap. Sentiment tilts positive on HSY catalysts, balanced by KMB and KO's yields.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently leans toward HSY based on superior trend consistency in recent weeks, strong salty snacks catalysts, and relative outperformance in consumer staples momentum. While KO offers unmatched stability and KMB high yield appeal, HSY's positioning suggests higher probability of near-term upside in growth-oriented 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).
HSY’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileKMB’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and KO’s FA Score reflects 2 green FA rating(s).
- HSY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- KMB’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- KO’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), and KO’s TA Score reflects 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- HSY’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
- KMB’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
- KO’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
HSY (@Food: Specialty/Candy) experienced а +2.26% price change this week, while KMB (@Household/Personal Care) price change was +1.90% , and KO (@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic) price fluctuated +1.90% for the same time period.
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 @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 @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
HSY is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
KMB is expected to report earnings on Apr 28, 2026.
KO is expected to report earnings on Apr 28, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@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.
@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.
@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.
| HSY | KMB | KO | |
| Capitalization | 42.7B | 32.5B | 336B |
| EBITDA | 1.94B | 3.11B | 18.7B |
| Gain YTD | 16.620 | -1.705 | 12.598 |
| P/E Ratio | 48.58 | 20.16 | 25.72 |
| Revenue | 11.7B | 16.4B | 47.9B |
| Total Cash | 926M | 774M | N/A |
| Total Debt | 5.74B | 7.3B | 45.5B |
HSY | KMB | KO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 5 | 63 | 13 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 38 Fair valued | 16 Undervalued | 43 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 61 | 100 | 9 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 45 | 11 | 20 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 49 | 62 | 34 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 5 | 46 | 70 | |
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.
KMB's Valuation (16) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as HSY (38) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is in the same range as KO (43) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that KMB's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and similarly to KO’s over the last 12 months.
KO's Profit vs Risk Rating (9) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic 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 KMB (100) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that KO's stock grew somewhat faster than HSY’s and significantly faster than KMB’s over the last 12 months.
KMB's SMR Rating (11) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as KO (20) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for HSY (45) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry. This means that KMB's stock grew similarly to KO’s and somewhat faster than HSY’s over the last 12 months.
KO's Price Growth Rating (34) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is in the same range as HSY (49) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is in the same range as KMB (62) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that KO's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and similarly to KMB’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 KMB (46) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for KO (70) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that HSY's stock grew somewhat faster than KMB’s and somewhat faster than KO’s over the last 12 months.
| HSY | KMB | KO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 43% | 1 day ago 46% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 43% | 1 day ago 27% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 45% | 1 day ago 46% | 1 day ago 32% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 48% | 1 day ago 40% | 1 day ago 30% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 59% | 1 day ago 42% | 1 day ago 38% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 52% | 1 day ago 45% | 1 day ago 36% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 42% | 1 day ago 39% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 9 days ago 54% | 11 days ago 48% | 21 days ago 29% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 60% | 1 day ago 48% | 1 day ago 22% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 57% | 1 day ago 46% | 1 day ago 24% |
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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.
KMB and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KMB has been loosely correlated with CL. These tickers have moved in lockstep 56% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KMB jumps, then CL could also see price increases.
KO and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KO has been loosely correlated with CCEP. These tickers have moved in lockstep 60% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KO jumps, then CCEP could also see price increases.