BF.A vs. HSY: Brown-Forman vs. Hershey Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY) both fall under the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group, but BF.A is classified in Beverages while HSY is classified in Food Products.

Company profile comparison for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY)
Profile Item	BF.A	HSY
Name	Brown-Forman Corporation Class A Common Stock	The Hershey Company Common Stock
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Food, Beverage & Tobacco	Food, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS Industry	Beverages	Food Products
GICS Sub-Industry	Distillers & Vintners	Packaged Foods & Meats
Market Capitalization	14.44 billion USD	35.79 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	May 3, 1973	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BF.A

HSY

GSPC

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY)
Metric	BF.A	HSY
Total Return (1Y)	21.31%	3.76%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-17.39%	-0.13%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-12.15%	2.04%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BF.A

HSY

GSPC

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY)
Metric	BF.A	HSY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	38.10%	27.95%
Beta (5Y)	0.26	0.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-67.09%	-45.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)	138.95K	1.48M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BF.A and HSY are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY)
Metric	BF.A	HSY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.45	-0.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.68	-0.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Hershey (HSY) at 38.00% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 18.12% also sits in the top quartile.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

18.12%

Max: 32.02%
BF.A: 18.12%
Q3: 16.61%
Median: 10.05%
Q1: 4.10%
Min: -10.50%

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

38.00%

HSY: 38.00%
Max: 32.02%
Q3: 16.61%
Median: 10.05%
Q1: 4.10%
Min: -10.50%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their ROE against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 18.42% and Hershey (HSY) at 14.63% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

18.42%

Max: 24.83%
BF.A: 18.42%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
Q1: 2.05%
Min: -11.49%

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

14.63%

Max: 24.83%
HSY: 14.63%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
Q1: 2.05%
Min: -11.49%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 27.55% and Hershey (HSY) at 25.55% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

27.55%

Max: 34.91%
BF.A: 27.55%
Q3: 17.57%
Median: 11.06%
Q1: 4.15%
Min: -15.06%

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

25.55%

Max: 34.91%
HSY: 25.55%
Q3: 17.57%
Median: 11.06%
Q1: 4.15%
Min: -15.06%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY)
Metric	BF.A	HSY
ROE (TTM)	18.12%	38.00%
ROA (TTM)	8.63%	11.82%
Net Margin (TTM)	18.42%	14.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.55%	25.55%
Gross Margin (TTM)	60.66%	41.95%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at -1.18% and Hershey (HSY) at 4.38% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at -16.85% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Hershey (HSY) at -60.26% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY)
Metric	BF.A	HSY
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-1.18%	4.38%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.42%	3.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-16.85%	-60.26%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.09%	-18.31%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Hershey (HSY) at 1.24 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 3.26 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.26

Max: 4.01
BF.A: 3.26
Q3: 2.35
Median: 1.53
Q1: 1.02
Min: 0.33

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.24

Max: 4.01
Q3: 2.35
Median: 1.53
HSY: 1.24
Q1: 1.02
Min: 0.33

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their current ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 0.62 and Hershey (HSY) at 1.11 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.62

Max: 2.19
Q3: 1.11
Median: 0.68
BF.A: 0.62
Q1: 0.33
Min: 0.00

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.11

Max: 2.19
HSY: 1.11
Q3: 1.11
Median: 0.68
Q1: 0.33
Min: 0.00

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY)
Metric	BF.A	HSY
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.26	1.24
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	1.11
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.80	1.52

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 2.89% and Hershey (HSY) at 3.23% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.89%

Max: 9.38%
Q3: 3.77%
BF.A: 2.89%
Median: 1.76%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.23%

Max: 9.38%
Q3: 3.77%
HSY: 3.23%
Median: 1.76%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 59.32% and Hershey (HSY) at 64.77% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

59.32%

Max: 199.19%
Q3: 81.03%
BF.A: 59.32%
Median: 41.52%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

64.77%

Max: 199.19%
Q3: 81.03%
HSY: 64.77%
Median: 41.52%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY)
Metric	BF.A	HSY
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.89%	3.23%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	59.32%	64.77%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 20.30 and Hershey (HSY) at 20.14 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

20.30

Max: 52.52
Q3: 30.78
BF.A: 20.30
Median: 18.76
Q1: 12.77
Min: 4.72

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

20.14

Max: 52.52
Q3: 30.78
HSY: 20.14
Median: 18.76
Q1: 12.77
Min: 4.72

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 3.69 and Hershey (HSY) at 2.92 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.69

Max: 4.64
BF.A: 3.69
Q3: 2.27
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.52
Min: 0.00

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.92

Max: 4.64
HSY: 2.92
Q3: 2.27
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.52
Min: 0.00

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 3.64 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Hershey (HSY) at 7.34 prices even higher, above its industry range.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.64

Max: 6.35
BF.A: 3.64
Q3: 3.07
Median: 1.58
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.00

HSY

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

7.34

HSY: 7.34
Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.07
Median: 1.58
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.00

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and Hershey (HSY)
Metric	BF.A	HSY
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.30	20.14
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.69	2.92
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.64	7.34
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.75%	4.67%