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DEO vs. HSY: Diageo vs. Hershey Stock Comparison

How do Diageo (DEO) 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

Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY) both fall under the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group, but DEO is classified in Beverages while HSY is classified in Food Products.

Hershey (HSY) trades as ordinary local shares, while Diageo (DEO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY)
Profile ItemDEOHSY
NameDiageo plc Sponsored ADRThe Hershey Company Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited KingdomUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupFood, Beverage & TobaccoFood, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS IndustryBeveragesFood Products
GICS Sub-IndustryDistillers & VintnersPackaged Foods & Meats
Market Capitalization55.56 billion USD35.79 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 14, 1991March 17, 1980
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DEO
HSY
GSPC
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Diageo (DEO) 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 Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricDEOHSY
Total Return (1Y)13.51%3.76%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-11.57%-0.13%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-10.73%2.04%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DEO
HSY
GSPC
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Diageo (DEO) 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 Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricDEOHSY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)33.21%27.95%
Beta (5Y)0.520.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)-63.41%-45.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.07M1.48M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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DEO 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 Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricDEOHSY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.28-0.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.38-0.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Hershey (HSY) at 38.00% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Diageo (DEO) at 14.99%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

14.99%

Max
32.02%
Q3
16.61%
DEO
14.99%
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%
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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their ROE against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Hershey (HSY) at 14.63% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Diageo (DEO) at 8.84%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

8.84%

Max
24.83%
Q3
11.22%
DEO
8.84%
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%
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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Diageo (DEO) at 27.04% 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.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

27.04%

Max
34.91%
DEO
27.04%
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%
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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricDEOHSY
ROE (TTM)14.99%38.00%
ROA (TTM)7.48%11.82%
Net Margin (TTM)8.84%14.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)27.04%25.55%
Gross Margin (TTM)59.82%41.95%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Hershey (HSY) at 4.38% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Diageo (DEO) at -2.97% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Diageo (DEO) at -26.30% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Hershey (HSY) at -60.26% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricDEOHSY
Revenue Growth (YoY)-2.97%4.38%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.50%3.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)-26.30%-60.26%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-27.84%-18.31%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Diageo (DEO) at 1.60 and Hershey (HSY) at 1.24 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.60

Max
4.01
Q3
2.35
DEO
1.60
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
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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their current ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Hershey (HSY) at 1.11 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Diageo (DEO) at 1.71 uses more debt funding than most peers.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.71

Max
2.19
DEO
1.71
Q3
1.11
Median
0.68
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
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Diageo (DEO) 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 Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricDEOHSY
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.601.24
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.711.11
Net Debt / EBITDA3.181.52

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Diageo (DEO) at 0.50% and Hershey (HSY) at 3.23% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.50%

Max
9.38%
Q3
3.77%
Median
1.76%
DEO
0.50%
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%
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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Diageo (DEO) reports payout ratio above 100% at 106.52%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Hershey (HSY) reports 64.77%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

106.52%

Max
199.19%
DEO
106.52%
Q3
81.03%
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%
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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricDEOHSY
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.50%3.23%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)106.52%64.77%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Hershey (HSY) at 20.14 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Diageo (DEO) at 31.97 sits in the richer quartile — DEO needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

31.97

Max
52.52
DEO
31.97
Q3
30.78
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
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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Diageo (DEO) at 2.83 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.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.83

Max
4.64
DEO
2.83
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
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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Diageo (DEO) at 91.95 and Hershey (HSY) at 7.34 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

DEO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

91.95

DEO
91.95
Max
6.35
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
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Diageo (DEO) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Diageo (DEO) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricDEOHSY
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.9720.14
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.832.92
P/B Ratio (MRQ)91.957.34
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.62%4.67%