HERSHEY CO vs THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY, two Food & Beverage stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where HSY and SJM diverge most: on implied growth (priced in), HSY reads +0.1% and SJM reads -3.5%; on net margin, HSY reads 12.2% and SJM reads -1.5%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's HSY price has a different growth bar priced in than SJM (+0.1% implied for HSY vs -3.5% for SJM); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What HSY's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What SJM's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | HSY | SJM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $174.94 | $119.34 |
| Market cap | $38.8B | $12.7B |
| Sector | Food & Beverage | Food & Beverage |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +0.1% | -3.5% |
| P/B | 8.49 | 2.30 |
| P/S | 3.19 | 1.41 |
| EV/EBITDA | 16.5 | 44.2 |
| Revenue growth | +7.7% | +3.7% |
| Gross margin | 45.3% | 38.0% |
| Operating margin | 23.1% | 19.6% |
| Net margin | 12.2% | -1.5% |
| Return on equity | 32.6% | -2.5% |
| Return on assets | 10.7% | -0.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 16.4% | 2.3% |
| FCF yield | 5.8% | 9.1% |
| Dividend yield | — | 3.7% |
| Debt / equity | 1.25 | 1.26 |
| Current ratio | 1.18 | 0.78 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.13 | 1.31 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.