On the stock market since 1980, it operates in the everyday-essentials business. It has 18,573 employees. Now — the numbers.
This is an established company with proven profits.
That much dependence is a risk in itself: if this one line weakens, the whole company feels it directly.
The gap is $4.5B. In times of high interest rates, a gap like that can squeeze a company.
We compared this company with its own sector across five subjects.
A score of 50 means class average.
Profit power and business quality lead the class.
A solid grade overall — yet the debt outweighs the cash. The strength here comes from earnings power.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Growth: Sales growth trails the sector average.
Valuation: The stock trades at a price that looks expensive next to its earnings; that can cap future returns.
angles, checked one by one.
The 2 that stand out are on screen; the rest came back neutral.
The council scores out of 10; report-card grades are out of 100.
Executive Buying: The trades send no strong signal of confidence.
The stock trades 32% below its peak. The market has trimmed its expectations for the company.
It met or beat analyst expectations in 7 of the last 8 quarters — consistency is a promise kept.
It pays out $5.64 per share each year — regular cash for whoever holds the stock.
The company’s market value is 42 times its annual profit. Even a small disappointment could hit the price hard.
Over the last 12 months, executives reported 612 sells against just 65 buys. Not an alarm bell by itself, but a number worth watching.
On our five-subject report card, HSY sits near the top of the class. A high grade doesn’t mean “guaranteed win” — it means “the evidence looks strong for now.”
The takeaway: HSY is an established business that has proven its profits for years. The real debate isn’t the quality of the business — it’s whether the price paid for the stock is too high.
The total grade weighs these five subjects against the sector — it isn’t a simple average of the five.