HSY vs MKC Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare Hershey and McCormick by ingredient cost sensitivity, private label competition, international revenue, operating margins, dividend track record, and defensive income appeal.
Use this Hershey vs McCormick comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
HSY holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. HSY has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-5.22% vs -30.08%), though MKC has the better forward P/E setup (15.64x vs 17.34x for HSY). On fundamentals, MKC is growing revenue faster (16.70%), while HSY maintains the higher operating margin (21.34%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for HSY (+24.01%) than for MKC (+17.24%).
| Metric | HSY | MKC |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 41.6 | 37.2 |
| AI rank | #990 | #1459 |
| Latest close | $174.30 | $49.96 |
| 1M return | -4.77% | +4.96% |
| 6M return | -8.84% | -17.82% |
| 1Y return | -5.22% | -30.08% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | HSY | MKC |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.31K (-6.9%) started 2025-07-25 | $6.98K (-30.2%) started 2025-07-25 |
| 5Y ago | $11.86K (+18.6%) started 2021-07-26 | $6.83K (-31.7%) started 2021-07-26 |
| 10Y ago | $24.47K (+144.7%) started 2016-07-25 | $13.32K (+33.2%) started 2016-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | HSY | MKC |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $34.77B | $13.9B |
| Trailing P/E | 31.92 | 8.60 |
| Forward P/E | 17.34 | 15.64 |
| Price/Sales | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenue | 3.30 | 2.58 |
| Analyst target | $212.57 | $60.62 |
| Target upside | +24.01% | +17.24% |
| Metric | HSY | MKC |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 10.60% | 16.70% |
| Earnings growth | 93.60% | -14.20% |
| EPS growth | +93.60% | -14.20% |
| FCF margin | +12.74% | +9.67% |
| Operating margin | 21.34% | 17.42% |
| Profit margin | 9.13% | 21.91% |
| ROIC proxy | 23.23% | 24.73% |
| Return on equity | 23.23% | 24.73% |
| Dividend yield | 3.39% | 3.71% |
| Beta | 0.10 | 0.63 |
| Debt/equity | 120.01 | 65.14 |
| Current ratio | 1.24 | 0.78 |
| Quick ratio | 0.61 | 0.29 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | HSY | MKC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -6.85% | -30.19% |
| CAGR | -6.87% | -30.27% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.29 | -1.21 | |
| Max drawdown | 27.94% | 37.37% | |
| Max daily drop | 4.80% | 8.05% | |
| Max wkly drop | 10.55% | 12.18% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +7.54% | -36.88% |
| CAGR | +1.47% | -8.80% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.02 | -0.43 | |
| Max drawdown | 45.25% | 53.38% | |
| Max daily drop | 7.86% | 9.27% | |
| Max wkly drop | 10.55% | 14.96% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +93.79% | +12.19% |
| CAGR | +6.84% | +1.16% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.21 | -0.01 | |
| Max drawdown | 45.25% | 53.38% | |
| Max daily drop | 16.53% | 10.92% | |
| Max wkly drop | 21.95% | 16.43% |
| Category | HSY | MKC |
|---|---|---|
| Company | HSY | MKC |
| Sector | Consumer Defensive | Consumer Defensive |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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