HSY vs. MNST: Hershey vs. Monster Beverage Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST)
Profile Item	HSY	MNST
Name	The Hershey Company Common Stock	Monster Beverage Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Food, Beverage & Tobacco	Food, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS Industry	Food Products	Beverages
GICS Sub-Industry	Packaged Foods & Meats	Soft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages
Market Capitalization	35.79 billion USD	89.50 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	December 9, 1985
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HSY

MNST

GSPC

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST), 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 Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST)
Metric	HSY	MNST
Total Return (1Y)	3.76%	29.93%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-0.13%	18.04%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	2.04%	14.58%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HSY

MNST

GSPC

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST), 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 Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST)
Metric	HSY	MNST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	27.95%	26.79%
Beta (5Y)	0.07	0.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-45.25%	-26.03%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.48M	9.80M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HSY and MNST 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 Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST)
Metric	HSY	MNST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.02	0.96
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.03	1.54

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Hershey (HSY) at 38.00% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Monster Beverage (MNST) at 24.70% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

24.70%

Max: 32.02%
MNST: 24.70%
Q3: 16.61%
Median: 10.05%
Q1: 4.10%
Min: -10.50%

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST): A comparison of their ROE against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Hershey (HSY) at 14.63% and Monster Beverage (MNST) at 22.66% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

22.66%

Max: 24.83%
MNST: 22.66%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
Q1: 2.05%
Min: -11.49%

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Hershey (HSY) at 25.55% and Monster Beverage (MNST) at 28.06% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.06%

Max: 34.91%
MNST: 28.06%
Q3: 17.57%
Median: 11.06%
Q1: 4.15%
Min: -15.06%

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST)
Metric	HSY	MNST
ROE (TTM)	38.00%	24.70%
ROA (TTM)	11.82%	16.44%
Net Margin (TTM)	14.63%	22.66%
Operating Margin (TTM)	25.55%	28.06%
Gross Margin (TTM)	41.95%	55.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Monster Beverage (MNST) at 10.70% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Hershey (HSY) at 4.38% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for MNST.

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Monster Beverage (MNST) at 19.75% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Hershey (HSY) at -60.26% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST)
Metric	HSY	MNST
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.38%	10.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.92%	9.54%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-60.26%	19.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-18.31%	20.28%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Hershey (HSY) at 1.24 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Monster Beverage (MNST) at 3.82 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

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

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.82

Max: 4.01
MNST: 3.82
Q3: 2.35
Median: 1.53
Q1: 1.02
Min: 0.33

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST): A comparison of their current ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Hershey (HSY) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11 against its industry range, while Monster Beverage (MNST) reports no figure this period.

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

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

Max: 2.19
Q3: 1.11
Median: 0.68
Q1: 0.33
Min: 0.00
MNST: --

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST): MNST does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; HSY is benchmarked against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST)
Metric	HSY	MNST
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.24	3.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.11	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.52	-1.25

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Monster Beverage (MNST) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Hershey (HSY) reports a yield of 3.23%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.00%

Max: 9.38%
Q3: 3.77%
Median: 1.76%
MNST: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Monster Beverage (MNST) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Hershey (HSY) reports a payout of 64.77%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.00%

Max: 199.19%
Q3: 81.03%
Median: 41.52%
MNST: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Hershey (HSY) vs. Monster Beverage (MNST): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST)
Metric	HSY	MNST
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.23%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	64.77%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Hershey (HSY) at 20.14 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Monster Beverage (MNST) at 41.56 sits in the richer quartile — MNST needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

41.56

Max: 52.52
MNST: 41.56
Q3: 30.78
Median: 18.76
Q1: 12.77
Min: 4.72

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Hershey (HSY) at 2.92 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Monster Beverage (MNST) at 9.34 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

9.34

MNST: 9.34
Max: 4.64
Q3: 2.27
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.52
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Hershey (HSY) at 7.34 and Monster Beverage (MNST) at 9.09 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

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

MNST

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

9.09

MNST: 9.09
Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.07
Median: 1.58
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.00

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Hershey (HSY) and Monster Beverage (MNST)
Metric	HSY	MNST
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.14	41.56
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.92	9.34
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.34	9.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.67%	--