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Looking up the ticker with the regulator···
0s · usually 20–30 seconds for a cold read
Hershey Co.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
Signals scattered
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2 of 5 met · composite in line with peers
Business quality, valuation against the sector, and position in the 52-week range — whether they line up or not.
Mixed signals
1 signal unavailable
Profitability
3/4
Debt & liquidity
1/3
Efficiency
0/2
Revenue growth at 4.4% year over year runs +134% above the sector median of 1.9%, yet the efficiency signals tell a different story: the F-Score lands at 4/9, with the efficiency sub-score at zero, and ROIC of 12.5% sits -30% below the sector median of 17.8%. The current ratio of 1.19 is +43% above the median, and FCF growth recovered sharply year over year, so the balance sheet and cash position look steadier than the capital-returns picture. EV/EBITDA of 21.4× runs +53% above the sector median of 14.0× — a premium that is hard to justify when ROIC is trailing. The most recent quarter beat consensus by a wide margin, and analysts forecast further earnings recovery; the realized three-year EPS CAGR is not available from SEC filings, so that consensus optimism cannot be checked against a hard track record.
| Ticker | Name | F-Score | ROE | Revenue YoY | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | Colgate-Palmolive | 5/9 | 1 603% |
Quarter-by-quarter classification · a retrospective read by the current logic · not a price forecast
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. The method did not see these quarters in real time; this is the current logic applied to past reports.
When Hershey reports on 2026-10-28, track revenue growth year over year against the current 1.87% figure and check whether FCF growth holds above the sector median. Also note any change in ROIC, which currently sits 30% below the sector median at 17.8%.
Pull Hershey's latest 10-K on SEC EDGAR and focus on the leverage section — the F-Score flags only 1 out of 3 on leverage and liquidity. Management's discussion should clarify how the company plans to address the EV/EBITDA of 14.0×, which runs 53% above the sector median.
Pick two or three companies from the Consumer Staples table in section 06 and line up one metric — EV/EBITDA or ROIC are the most relevant given Hershey's current readings. The table is alphabetical with no ranking, so the comparison is yours to draw without a preset conclusion.
Steps you can check yourself, based on the figures in this brief.
Piotroski F-Score: nine binary tests of financial strength from the annual report. A ✓ marks a test passed, a dot (·) a test failed.
Over 4 years: +14%-14%+24%-5%
Over 4 years: 1.271.270.952.41
Over 4 years: +16%+7%+0%+4%
The context on the right shows how each figure compares with the sector median. The trend below tracks the change over recent fiscal years.
Beat consensus in 7 of 8 recent quarters — the company clears estimates regularly (consensus is often set conservatively).
Last quarter's EPS against consensus, plus the estimated date of the next report.
| +1% |
| 16% |
| COST | Costco | 7/9 | 31% | +8% | 4% |
| GIS | General Mills | 5/9 | -1% | -5% | 5% |
| HSY | Hershey Co. | 4/9 | 19% | +4% | 12% |
| KMB | Kimberly-Clark | 4/9 | 173% | -2% | 14% |
| KO | Coca-Cola | 6/9 | 46% | +2% | 29% |
| KR | Kroger | 6/9 | 14% | +0% | 1% |
| MDLZ | Mondelez | 6/9 | 9% | +6% | 9% |
| MO | Altria | 6/9 | — | -3% | 43% |
| PEP | PepsiCo | 5/9 | 43% | +2% | 12% |
| PG | Procter & Gamble | 6/9 | 31% | +0% | 24% |
| PM | Philip Morris | 7/9 | — | +7% | 37% |
| SYY | Sysco | 6/9 | 99% | +3% | 4% |
| TGT | Target | 6/9 | 24% | -2% | 5% |
| WMT | Walmart | 7/9 | 23% | +5% | 4% |
A sample of 15 companies in the sector including the target, alphabetical, unranked. Data from the latest SEC annual reports.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
A simplified retrospective read: no analyst forecast (not available historically); the source is the annual report as of the date, so neighbouring quarters can rest on the same data. Quarters with the same classification in a row are merged into one row — each row is one change in the read, not a separate quarter. One ticker is an illustration of the classification logic, not statistics. How we calculate →