HSY vs PEP vs KHC Stock Comparison

Hershey, Pepsico and Kraft Heinz Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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HSY Hershey Co
$171.27 +6.9% 1M +1.0% 1Y
Market cap
$34.45B
P/E
19.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.26B
Div. yield
3.34%
Snacks and Confectionery Consumer Staples
6 wins
PEP Pepsico Inc
$140.42 +11.5% 1M -3.9% 1Y
Market cap
$191.36B
P/E
17.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$98.24B
Div. yield
4.13%
Non-Alcoholic Beverages Consumer Staples
3 wins
KHC Kraft Heinz Co
$24.94 +12.3% 1M +0.8% 1Y
Market cap
$29.58B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$24.90B
Div. yield
6.42%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Hershey leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Hershey 6, Pepsico 3, Kraft Heinz 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionHSYPEPKHCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $34.45B $191.36B $29.58B PEP
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 19.2x 17.6x -8.7x PEP
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.2x 16.3x 11.9x KHC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.7% +6.4% -1.6% HSY
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.6% 11.1% -13.6% HSY
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 19.5% 16.1% -5.0% HSY
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.4x 2.2x -7.5x KHC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 3.34% 4.13% 6.42% KHC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +1.0% -3.9% +0.8% HSY
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -0.6%/yr -3.1%/yr -7.8%/yr HSY
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 27.8% 21.4% 27.7% PEP
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 66/100 63/100 53/100 HSY

Percentile Scorecard

HSYPEPKHC

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

AxisHSYPEPKHC
Valuation 43 #26 of 45 61 #15 of 37 61 #18 of 45
Growth 68 #14 of 42 50 #17 of 33 49 #22 of 42
Profitability 100 #1 of 40 87 #5 of 32 46 #22 of 40
Financial Health 61 #19 of 47 39 #23 of 37 57 #21 of 47
Shareholder Returns 57 #14 of 31 78 #6 of 24 53 #15 of 31
Overall 66 63 53
  • HSY ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • PEP ranked among 41 companies in Beverages
  • KHC ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodHSYPEPKHCSPY
1 month +6.9%+11.5%+12.3% -2.3%
3 months -3.6%+0.6%-5.6% -0.7%
6 months -5.9%-9.2%+11.2% +4.8%
Year to date -5.9%-2.2%+2.8% +10.3%
1 year +1.0%-3.9%+0.8% +10.3%
3 years -8.9%-15.8%-25.0% +73.0%
3 years, per year -3.1%-5.6%-9.2% +20.1%
5 years -3.0%-14.5%-33.4% +61.9%
5 years, per year -0.6%-3.1%-7.8% +10.1%
10 years +68.2%+31.6%-71.7% +258.6%
10 years, per year +5.3%+2.8%-11.9% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureHSYPEPKHCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 27.8%21.4%27.7% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 26.3%20.0%28.1% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.26-0.22-0.14 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.03-0.180.03 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -47.6%-36.9%-52.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -27.5%-17.6%-9.7% -3.5%
52-week high $236.28$170.49$27.62 $779.14
52-week low $157.59$123.73$21.21 $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.

MultipleHSYPEPKHC
P/E now vs peer median 19.2xmedian 20.1x 17.6xmedian 27.8x -8.7xmedian 20.1x
P/S now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 0.8x 1.9xmedian 1.7x 1.2xmedian 0.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.6xmedian 12.6x 12.4xmedian 18.5x -21.1xmedian 12.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 16.2xmedian 14.2x 18.3xmedian 18.6x 7.8xmedian 14.2x
P/B now vs peer median 7.1xmedian 1.6x 8.5xmedian 2.6x 0.8xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median -12.18median 0.58 1.76median 1.93 0.19median 0.58

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 monthsHSYPEPKHC
Revenue $12.26B $98.24B $24.90B
Gross profit $5.14B $53.22B $8.31B
Operating income $2.55B $15.05B -$3.18B
Net income $1.79B $10.97B -$3.40B
Free cash flow $2.12B $10.47B $3.82B
EPS (diluted) $7.00 $7.97 $-2.86
Cash & equivalents $676.69M $10.68B $2.42B
Total debt $5.13B $51.88B $19.00B
Shares (diluted) 256.31M 1.37B 1.19B
Enterprise value $31.18B $149.31B $16.11B

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
MetricHSYPEPKHC
P/E 19.2x 17.6x -8.7x
P/FCF 16.2x 18.3x 7.8x
P/Operating cash flow 13.4x 13.1x 6.4x
P/S 2.8x 1.9x 1.2x
P/B 7.1x 8.5x 0.8x
P/Tangible book 14.0x 22.5x 7.9x
EV/EBITDA 12.6x 12.4x -21.1x
EV/EBIT 15.3x 15.4x -14.4x
EV/Revenue 3.2x 2.4x 1.8x
EV/FCF 18.3x 22.2x 12.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.2x 15.9x 9.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -12.18 1.76 0.19

Growth

14 metrics
MetricHSYPEPKHC
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.7% 6.4% -1.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.2% 2.4% -2.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 18.6% 6.8% -4.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 0.8% 2.5% -1.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 31.5% 47.7% 54.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -1.0% 10.6% -39.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 31.9% 50.8% 35.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -2.1% 9.4% -45.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 32.8% 51.4% 35.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -1.6% 10.0% -46.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 11.9% 23.9% 5.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 3.2% 6.3% 12.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 15.3% 54.3% 9.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.3% 14.7% 18.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricHSYPEPKHC
Gross margin 41.9% 54.2% 33.4%
EBITDA margin 25.2% 19.1% -8.7%
Operating margin 20.8% 15.3% -12.8%
Pretax margin 18.9% 14.0% -14.7%
Net margin 14.6% 11.1% -13.6%
FCF margin 17.3% 10.7% 15.3%
Operating cash flow margin 20.9% 14.8% 18.6%
Return on equity 38.0% 49.0% -8.7%
Return on assets 12.9% 9.8% -4.4%
Return on invested capital 19.5% 16.1% -5.0%
Return on capital employed 23.5% 19.4% -4.6%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.9x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.3x -1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.3% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricHSYPEPKHC
Debt / assets 36.9% 46.3% 26.0%
Debt / equity 1.1x 2.3x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.4x 2.2x -7.5x
Debt / FCF 2.4x 5.0x 5.0x
Liabilities / assets 64.9% 79.9% 50.6%
Equity / assets 35.1% 20.1% 49.4%
Interest coverage – 13.6x -4.7x
Current ratio 1.2x 0.9x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.6x 0.7x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.46 3.52 0.51

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHSYPEPKHC
Dividend yield 3.3% 4.1% 6.4%
Net buyback yield 1.2% 0.4% 0.1%
Shareholder yield 4.6% 4.6% 6.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 63.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 53.3% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.3% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 9.6% – –

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.

ConsensusHSYPEPKHC
Forward P/E 19.2xFY2026 16.3xFY2026 11.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $8.92FY2026 $8.59FY2026 $2.10FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +41.4%FY2026 +5.5%FY2026 -19.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +18.0% +3.0% -7.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.55BFY2026 $96.43BFY2026 $23.68BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.4%FY2026 +2.7%FY2026 -5.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.1% +11.4% -1.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersHSYPEPKHC
Held by institutions 64.3% 79.1% 90.1%
Institutions holding 1,415 3,418 1,116
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.5% +5.8% +7.1%
Institutions buying 663 1,502 625
Institutions selling 507 1,517 313
Buyers to sellers 1.31 0.99 2.00

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.

HSYPEPKHC
HSY 1.00 0.54 0.44
PEP 0.54 1.00 0.54
KHC 0.44 0.54 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HSY, PEP and KHC?

Pepsico (PEP) is the largest by market capitalisation: Hershey (HSY) $34.45B, Pepsico (PEP) $191.36B, Kraft Heinz (KHC) $29.58B.

Which stock is cheaper, HSY, PEP and KHC?

Pepsico (PEP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Hershey (HSY) 19.2x, Pepsico (PEP) 17.6x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -8.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kraft Heinz (KHC) is cheapest (Hershey (HSY) 19.2x, Pepsico (PEP) 16.3x, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 11.9x). 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) +6.7%, Pepsico (PEP) +6.4%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -1.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Hershey (HSY) has the highest net margin (Hershey (HSY) 14.6%, Pepsico (PEP) 11.1%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -13.6%). On return on invested capital, Hershey (HSY) leads (Hershey (HSY) 19.5%, Pepsico (PEP) 16.1%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -5.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Hershey (HSY) returned the most: Hershey (HSY) +1.0%, Pepsico (PEP) -3.9%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) +0.8%. Over five years, Hershey (HSY) compounded fastest (Hershey (HSY) -0.6%/yr, Pepsico (PEP) -3.1%/yr, Kraft Heinz (KHC) -7.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kraft Heinz (KHC) has the highest dividend yield: Hershey (HSY) 3.34%, Pepsico (PEP) 4.13%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 6.42%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Pepsico (PEP) has been the steadiest (Hershey (HSY) 27.8%, Pepsico (PEP) 21.4%, Kraft Heinz (KHC) 27.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 6. 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.