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HRL vs. HSY: Hormel Foods vs. Hershey Stock Comparison

How do Hormel Foods (HRL) 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

Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY) are both classified in the Packaged Foods & Meats sub-industry within the broader Food Products industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY)
Profile ItemHRLHSY
NameHormel Foods CorporationThe Hershey Company Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupFood, Beverage & TobaccoFood, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS IndustryFood ProductsFood Products
GICS Sub-IndustryPackaged Foods & MeatsPackaged Foods & Meats
Market Capitalization12.08 billion USD35.79 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HRL
HSY
GSPC
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Hormel Foods (HRL) 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 Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricHRLHSY
Total Return (1Y)6.06%3.76%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-8.11%-0.13%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-9.33%2.04%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricHRLHSY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.42%27.95%
Beta (5Y)0.250.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)-59.13%-45.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.23M1.48M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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HRL 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 Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricHRLHSY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.06-0.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.09-0.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Hershey (HSY) at 38.00% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Hormel Foods (HRL) at 4.29%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

4.29%

Max
32.02%
Q3
16.61%
Median
10.05%
HRL
4.29%
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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Hormel Foods (HRL) 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 Hormel Foods (HRL) at 2.82%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.82%

Max
24.83%
Q3
11.22%
Median
5.94%
HRL
2.82%
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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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Hershey (HSY) at 25.55% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Hormel Foods (HRL) at 8.62%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

8.62%

Max
34.91%
Q3
17.57%
Median
11.06%
HRL
8.62%
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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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricHRLHSY
ROE (TTM)4.29%38.00%
ROA (TTM)4.63%11.82%
Net Margin (TTM)2.82%14.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)8.62%25.55%
Gross Margin (TTM)15.74%41.95%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Hormel Foods (HRL) at 1.56% 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.

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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Hormel Foods (HRL) at -40.82% 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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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricHRLHSY
Revenue Growth (YoY)1.56%4.38%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-0.95%3.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)-40.82%-60.26%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-21.81%-18.31%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Hormel Foods (HRL) at 1.88 and Hershey (HSY) at 1.24 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.88

Max
4.01
Q3
2.35
HRL
1.88
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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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their current ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Hormel Foods (HRL) at 0.36 and Hershey (HSY) at 1.11 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.36

Max
2.19
Q3
1.11
Median
0.68
HRL
0.36
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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Hormel Foods (HRL) 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 Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricHRLHSY
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.881.24
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.361.11
Net Debt / EBITDA1.571.52

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Hormel Foods (HRL) at 5.17% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Hershey (HSY) at 3.23% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, HRL the richer one.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

5.17%

Max
9.38%
HRL
5.17%
Q3
3.77%
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%
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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Hormel Foods (HRL) reports payout ratio above 100% at 188.31%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Hershey (HSY) reports 64.77%, ranking against industry peers normally.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

188.31%

Max
199.19%
HRL
188.31%
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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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricHRLHSY
Dividend Yield (TTM)5.17%3.23%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)188.31%64.77%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Hershey (HSY) at 20.14 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Hormel Foods (HRL) at 35.40 sits in the richer quartile — HRL needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

35.40

Max
52.52
HRL
35.40
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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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Hormel Foods (HRL) at 0.99 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Hershey (HSY) at 2.92 sits in the pricier quartile — HSY costs more per dollar of sales.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.99

Max
4.64
Q3
2.27
Median
1.17
HRL
0.99
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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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Hormel Foods (HRL) at 1.54 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Hershey (HSY) at 7.34 prices above its benchmark range — HSY looks rich relative to book.

HRL

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.54

Max
6.35
Q3
3.07
Median
1.58
HRL
1.54
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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Hormel Foods (HRL) vs. Hershey (HSY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Hormel Foods (HRL) and Hershey (HSY)
MetricHRLHSY
P/E Ratio (TTM)35.4020.14
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.992.92
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.547.34
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)5.15%4.67%