HSY vs KHC vs PEP Stock Comparison

Hershey, Kraft Heinz and Pepsico Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
HSY Hershey Co
$163.85 -0.4% 1M -9.1% 1Y
Market cap
$32.50B
P/E
21.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.16B
Div. yield
0.03%
Snacks and Confectionery Consumer Staples
5 wins
KHC Kraft Heinz Co
$23.88 +1.4% 1M -6.4% 1Y
Market cap
$28.34B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$24.90B
Div. yield
–
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
3 wins
PEP Pepsico Inc
$132.63 +3.2% 1M -11.7% 1Y
Market cap
$182.68B
P/E
16.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$98.24B
Div. yield
–
Non-Alcoholic Beverages Consumer Staples
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Hershey leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Hershey 5, Pepsico 3, Kraft Heinz 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionHSYKHCPEPLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $32.50B $28.34B $182.68B PEP
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.8x -8.3x 16.8x PEP
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.4x 11.4x 15.4x KHC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.7% -1.6% +6.4% HSY
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.2% -13.6% 11.1% HSY
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 16.5% -5.0% 16.1% HSY
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.8x -7.5x 2.2x KHC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -9.1% -6.4% -11.7% KHC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -1.3%/yr -7.8%/yr -3.9%/yr HSY
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 27.8% 27.9% 21.3% PEP
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 66/100 53/100 65/100 HSY

Percentile Scorecard

HSYKHCPEP

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisHSYKHCPEP
Valuation 43 #26 of 45 61 #18 of 45 62 #15 of 38
Growth 66 #15 of 42 49 #22 of 42 59 #14 of 33
Profitability 100 #1 of 40 44 #23 of 40 87 #5 of 31
Financial Health 59 #20 of 47 57 #21 of 47 39 #23 of 37
Shareholder Returns 63 #12 of 31 57 #14 of 31 77 #6 of 23
Overall 66 53 65
  • HSY ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • KHC ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • PEP ranked among 41 companies in Beverages

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodHSYKHCPEPSPY
1 month -0.4%+1.4%+3.2% +0.9%
3 months -11.0%-13.5%-7.6% +5.9%
6 months -13.4%+6.5%-14.6% +8.5%
Year to date -10.0%-1.5%-7.6% +13.3%
1 year -9.1%-6.4%-11.7% +12.4%
3 years -11.0%-24.0%-16.9% +88.1%
3 years, per year -3.8%-8.8%-6.0% +23.5%
5 years -6.6%-33.5%-17.9% +68.2%
5 years, per year -1.3%-7.8%-3.9% +11.0%
10 years +60.0%-72.9%+23.9% +263.4%
10 years, per year +4.8%-12.2%+2.2% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureHSYKHCPEPSPY
Volatility, 1Y 27.8%27.9%21.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.1%28.7%20.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.21-0.12-0.19 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.33-0.23-0.55 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -47.6%-52.1%-36.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -30.7%-13.5%-22.2% -0.9%
52-week high $236.28$27.62$170.49 $779.14
52-week low $157.59$21.21$123.73 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleHSYKHCPEP
P/E now vs peer median 22.2xmedian 22.2x -8.3xmedian 22.2x 16.6xmedian 26.9x
P/S now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 0.7x 1.1xmedian 0.7x 1.8xmedian 1.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.1xmedian 12.2x -20.5xmedian 12.2x 11.8xmedian 17.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 13.4x 7.4xmedian 13.4x 17.3xmedian 18.5x
P/B now vs peer median 7.3xmedian 1.6x 0.8xmedian 1.6x 8.0xmedian 2.6x
PEG now vs peer median -4.04median 0.56 0.18median 0.56 1.67median 2.10

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsHSYKHCPEP
Revenue $12.16B $24.90B $98.24B
Gross profit $4.67B $8.31B $53.22B
Operating income $2.16B -$3.18B $15.05B
Net income $1.49B -$3.40B $10.97B
Free cash flow $2.23B $3.82B $10.47B
EPS (diluted) $5.79 $-2.86 $7.97
Cash & equivalents $791.21M $2.42B $10.68B
Total debt $5.61B $19.00B $208.67B
Shares (diluted) 257.36M 1.19B 1.37B
Enterprise value $28.74B $14.76B $140.44B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricHSYKHCPEP
P/E 22.2x -8.3x 16.6x
P/FCF 14.9x 7.4x 17.3x
P/Operating cash flow 12.5x 6.1x 12.4x
P/S 2.7x 1.1x 1.8x
P/B 7.3x 0.8x 8.0x
P/Tangible book 15.5x 7.6x 21.2x
EV/EBITDA 14.1x -20.5x 11.8x
EV/EBIT 17.5x -14.1x 14.7x
EV/Revenue 3.1x 1.8x 2.3x
EV/FCF 17.0x 11.7x 21.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 14.3x 9.7x 15.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -4.04 0.18 1.67

Growth

14 metrics
MetricHSYKHCPEP
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.7% -1.6% 6.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.9% -2.8% 2.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 3.0% -4.3% 6.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -0.7% -1.1% 2.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 2.3% 54.1% 47.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -4.0% -39.1% 10.6%
Net income growth (1Y) -2.7% 35.5% 50.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.9% -45.4% 9.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -2.5% 35.6% 51.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -5.5% -46.1% 10.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 23.8% 5.0% 23.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 12.3% 6.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 34.8% 9.2% 54.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.4% 18.8% 14.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricHSYKHCPEP
Gross margin 38.4% 33.4% 54.2%
EBITDA margin 22.1% -8.7% 19.1%
Operating margin 17.8% -12.8% 15.3%
Pretax margin 15.8% -14.7% 14.0%
Net margin 12.2% -13.6% 11.1%
FCF margin 18.3% 15.3% 10.7%
Operating cash flow margin 21.8% 18.6% 14.8%
Return on equity 32.0% -8.7% 49.0%
Return on assets 10.7% -4.4% 9.8%
Return on invested capital 16.5% -5.0% 16.1%
Return on capital employed 20.5% -4.6% 19.4%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.3x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x -1.4x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.4% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricHSYKHCPEP
Debt / assets 40.2% 26.0% 46.3%
Debt / equity 1.2x 0.5x 2.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.8x -7.5x 2.2x
Debt / FCF 2.5x 5.0x 5.0x
Liabilities / assets 67.3% 50.6% 79.9%
Equity / assets 32.7% 49.4% 20.1%
Interest coverage – -4.7x 13.6x
Current ratio 1.2x 1.1x 0.9x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.6x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.13 0.49 3.45

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHSYKHCPEP
Dividend yield 3.5% 6.7% 4.4%
Net buyback yield 1.2% 0.1% 0.5%
Shareholder yield 4.7% 6.8% 4.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) 75.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 50.1% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.1% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.5% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusHSYKHCPEP
Forward P/E 18.4xFY2026 11.4xFY2026 15.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $8.92FY2026 $2.10FY2026 $8.59FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +41.4%FY2026 -19.2%FY2026 +5.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +18.0% -7.1% +3.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.55BFY2026 $23.68BFY2026 $96.43BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.4%FY2026 -5.1%FY2026 +2.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.1% -1.2% +11.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersHSYKHCPEP
Held by institutions 64.3% 90.1% 79.1%
Institutions holding 1,413 1,114 3,416
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.5% +7.1% +5.8%
Institutions buying 662 624 1,502
Institutions selling 506 312 1,515
Buyers to sellers 1.31 2.00 0.99

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

HSYKHCPEP
HSY 1.00 0.43 0.53
KHC 0.43 1.00 0.53
PEP 0.53 0.53 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HSY, KHC and PEP?

Pepsico (PEP) is the largest by market capitalisation: Hershey (HSY) $32.50B, Kraft Heinz (KHC) $28.34B, Pepsico (PEP) $182.68B.

Which stock is cheaper, HSY, KHC and PEP?

Pepsico (PEP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Hershey (HSY) 21.8x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -8.3x, Pepsico (PEP) 16.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kraft Heinz (KHC) is cheapest (Hershey (HSY) 18.4x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 11.4x, Pepsico (PEP) 15.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Hershey (HSY) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Hershey (HSY) +7.7%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -1.6%, Pepsico (PEP) +6.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Hershey (HSY) has the highest net margin (Hershey (HSY) 12.2%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -13.6%, Pepsico (PEP) 11.1%). On return on invested capital, Hershey (HSY) leads (Hershey (HSY) 16.5%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -5.0%, Pepsico (PEP) 16.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kraft Heinz (KHC) returned the most: Hershey (HSY) -9.1%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -6.4%, Pepsico (PEP) -11.7%. Over five years, Hershey (HSY) compounded fastest (Hershey (HSY) -1.3%/yr, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -7.8%/yr, Pepsico (PEP) -3.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Hershey (HSY) 0.03%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 0.00%, Pepsico (PEP) 0.00%. Kraft Heinz (KHC) and Pepsico (PEP) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Pepsico (PEP) has been the steadiest (Hershey (HSY) 27.8%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 27.9%, Pepsico (PEP) 21.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, HSY, KHC and PEP?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Hershey (HSY) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.