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HSY or KR or MO
Which Stock Would AI Choose? The Hershey Company (HSY) vs. The Kroger Co. (KR) vs. Altria Group (MO) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- HSY leads with strong YTD gains of approximately 24%, fueled by salty snacks growth and positive analyst revisions, though its high P/E ratio around 52 signals premium valuation.
- KR shows robust recent momentum with 15% monthly rises and Q4 earnings beats, supported by e-commerce expansion amid cautious full-year guidance.
- MO offers the highest dividend yield near 6.4% with YTD returns of 15%, but faces scrutiny over tobacco volume declines despite oral nicotine strength.
- All three exhibit defensive consumer staples traits, with HSY and KR outperforming broader market YTD while MO provides income stability.
- Recent market activity highlights momentum in grocery and confectionery over tobacco, influenced by pricing power and digital shifts.
- Relative performance favors growth-oriented plays like HSY in volatile conditions.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines HSY, KR, and MO, key players in the consumer staples sector spanning confectionery, grocery retail, and tobacco. Investors seeking defensive positions amid market volatility may value their resilience, while traders eye short-term momentum from earnings and sector trends. Recent weeks have spotlighted pricing discipline, digital growth, and yield appeal, offering insights into relative performance, valuation sensitivity, and positioning for broader economic shifts like inflation pressures.
HSY Overview and Recent Performance
The Hershey Company (HSY), a leading confectionery giant, has demonstrated robust momentum in recent market activity. Shares have surged around 24% YTD and over 30% in the past quarter, outpacing the S&P 500, driven by a 28% sales increase in its salty snacks segment amid resilient retail demand. Analysts have raised price targets and earnings guidance, reflecting strong innovation and pricing power. Trading near $225 with a market cap of $45.6 billion, P/E ratio around 52, and 2.6% dividend yield, sentiment remains positive despite debates on stretched valuations. Influences include supply-chain agility and snacking category expansion.
KR Overview and Recent Performance
The Kroger Co. (KR), a major U.S. supermarket operator, has posted solid gains with shares up about 15% monthly and 19% YTD, reaching around $74 and a $49 billion market cap. Q4 earnings exceeded estimates at $1.28 per share, boosted by 20% e-commerce growth and identical sales up 1.5%, though full-year forecasts remain cautious under new CEO Greg Foran. P/E stands at approximately 16, with a 2% yield. Performance reflects focus on affordable fresh foods, nimble delivery, and digital investments, countering thin margins and sluggish industry growth.
MO Overview and Recent Performance
Altria Group (MO), primarily known for Marlboro cigarettes, trades near $66.50 with a $112 billion market cap, P/E of 16, and standout 6.4% dividend yield. YTD returns hover at 15%, with recent monthly gains around 3% amid oral nicotine pouch strength offsetting declining cigarette volumes. Barclays recently lifted its price target, supporting sentiment despite payout sustainability concerns. Influences include pricing power and diversification efforts, positioning it as an income staple in a challenged tobacco landscape.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
HSY, KR, and MO operate in consumer staples but diverge in models: HSY's branded confectionery drives premium growth via snacks, contrasting KR's volume-based grocery retail emphasizing e-commerce and affordability. MO relies on tobacco pricing amid volume erosion, pivoting to alternatives. Growth favors HSY (salty snacks) and KR (digital sales), while MO offers superior yield but regulatory risks. Recent momentum tilts to HSY and KR; HSY's P/E premium reflects optimism versus peers' value. All show low betas for stability, but MO suits income, HSY growth seekers.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently leans toward HSY based on superior trend consistency, YTD outperformance, and catalysts like snacks expansion amid favorable consumer staples rotation. Its momentum edges KR's retail steadiness and MO's yield, though relative stability across all suggests probabilistic favoritism rather than certainty in shifting 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).
HSY’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileKR’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and MO’s FA Score reflects 4 green FA rating(s).
- HSY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- KR’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- MO’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 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 KR’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and MO’s TA Score reflects 3 bullish TA indicator(s).
- HSY’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- KR’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
- MO’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
HSY (@Food: Specialty/Candy) experienced а -4.78% price change this week, while KR (@Food Retail) price change was +0.29% , and MO (@Tobacco) price fluctuated -4.76% for the same time period.
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%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Food Retail industry was +2.31%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +2.04%, and the average quarterly price growth was +3.08%.
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%.
Reported Earning Dates
HSY is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
KR is expected to report earnings on Jun 11, 2026.
MO is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@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.
@Food Retail (+2.31% 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.
@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.
| HSY | KR | MO | |
| Capitalization | 39B | 41.8B | 107B |
| EBITDA | 1.94B | 5.76B | 10.8B |
| Gain YTD | 6.547 | 9.686 | 13.155 |
| P/E Ratio | 44.38 | 44.28 | 15.58 |
| Revenue | 11.7B | 148B | 20.1B |
| Total Cash | 926M | 4.58B | N/A |
| Total Debt | 5.74B | 24.7B | 25.7B |
HSY | KR | MO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 5 | 54 | 55 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 34 Fair valued | 55 Fair valued | 8 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 71 | 24 | 14 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 46 | 56 | 9 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 59 | 59 | 52 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 7 | 10 | 15 | |
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.
MO's Valuation (8) in the Tobacco industry is in the same range as HSY (34) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for KR (55) in the Food Retail industry. This means that MO's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and somewhat faster than KR’s over the last 12 months.
MO's Profit vs Risk Rating (14) in the Tobacco industry is in the same range as KR (24) in the Food Retail industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for HSY (71) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry. This means that MO's stock grew similarly to KR’s and somewhat faster than HSY’s over the last 12 months.
MO's SMR Rating (9) in the Tobacco industry is somewhat better than the same rating for HSY (46) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for KR (56) in the Food Retail industry. This means that MO's stock grew somewhat faster than HSY’s and somewhat faster than KR’s over the last 12 months.
MO's Price Growth Rating (52) 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 KR (59) in the Food Retail industry. This means that MO's stock grew similarly to HSY’s and similarly to KR’s over the last 12 months.
HSY's P/E Growth Rating (7) in the Food Specialty Or Candy industry is in the same range as KR (10) in the Food Retail industry, and is in the same range as MO (15) in the Tobacco industry. This means that HSY's stock grew similarly to KR’s and similarly to MO’s over the last 12 months.
| HSY | KR | MO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 53% | 2 days ago 57% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 66% | 2 days ago 66% | 2 days ago 58% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | N/A | 2 days ago 49% | 2 days ago 35% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | N/A | 2 days ago 54% | 2 days ago 40% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 55% | 2 days ago 62% | 2 days ago 40% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 53% | 2 days ago 53% | 2 days ago 31% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 10 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 57% | 10 days ago 53% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 56% | 4 days ago 46% | 4 days ago 37% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 70% | 2 days ago 57% | N/A |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 57% | 2 days ago 44% | 2 days ago 23% |
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MO and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, MO has been loosely correlated with PM. These tickers have moved in lockstep 51% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if MO jumps, then PM could also see price increases.