Hershey Co vs Trade Desk Inc — how do they compare? Hershey Co trades at $171.66 (market cap $34.83B), while Trade Desk Inc trades at $18.54 (market cap $8.76B). The key difference: Hershey Co is far larger — about 4× Trade Desk Inc's market cap, and Hershey Co pays a 3.38% dividend while Trade Desk Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HSY | TTD | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $34.83B | $8.76B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Technology |
52-Week High | $236.28 | $89.76 |
52-Week Low | $162.31 | $17.33 |
Enterprise Value | $39.63B | $7.78B |
Dividend Yield | 3.38% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Hershey (HSY) trades at $171.72, showing modest daily gains of 0.18%. The stock faces bearish technical signals with recent price action near support at $170, while fundamentals reveal mixed performance with strong earnings beats but compressed margins. Recent Q1 2026 EPS of $2.35 exceeded expectations by 15%, though net income margin declined to 7.55% in 2025 from 19.82% in 2024 due to cocoa cost pressures. The company maintains solid cash flow generation with $2.28B operating cash flow in 2025.
Hershey presents a cautious opportunity as margin recovery begins in Q2 2026, with analyst consensus target of $208.42 offering 21% upside. However, volume concerns and competitive pressures pose near-term risks. The 3.3% dividend yield provides income support while investors await evidence of sustained sales volume recovery and margin expansion in upcoming earnings.
The Trade Desk (TTD) trades at $18.68, down 76% year-to-date amid slowing revenue growth and executive turnover. Recent technical signals are bearish, with moving averages indicating selling pressure, while fundamentals show strong profitability with a 77.83% gross margin and 14.57% net margin. The company has beaten earnings estimates in two of the last three quarters but missed Q1 2026 expectations. Recent news highlights key executive appointments and a resolved dispute with Publicis Groupe.
Outlook: TTD faces headwinds from competitive pressure and growth deceleration, but current valuation at 21.13x P/E may attract value investors. Risks include market share loss to larger rivals and execution challenges. Analyst consensus price target of $25.23 suggests 35% upside potential, though sentiment remains divided with nearly equal buy and hold ratings.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Hershey is a leading confectionery manufacturer in the U.S. (around a $25 billion market), controlling around 46% of the domestic chocolate space (per IRI). Beyond its namesake label, the firm's mix has expanded over the last 85 years and now consists of 100 brands, including Reese's, Kit Kat, Kisses, and Ice Breakers. Hershey's products are sold in about 80 countries, albeit with just a high-single-digit percentage of sales coming from markets outside the U.S., including Brazil, India, and Mexico. The firm has sought inorganic opportunities to extend its reach beyond its core confection business, adding Amplify Snack Brands and its Skinny Pop ready-to-eat popcorn to its mix and Pirate Brands (including the Pirate's Booty, Smart Puffs, and Original Tings brands) over the past few years.
Read more on HSY →The Trade Desk Inc is engaged in providing a technology platform for ad buyers. Through its cloud-based platform ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize data-driven digital advertising campaigns across ad formats and channels, including display, video, audio, in-app, native and social, on a multitude of devices. Its products include Data Management Platform, Cross-Device Targeting, Video Advertising, Mobile Advertising, and others.
Read more on TTD →