Compare Stocks › BAC vs HSY

Bank of America Corporation (BAC) vs The Hershey Company (HSY): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-11-01, BAC is undervalued at $50, with a DCF intrinsic value of $180 and a margin of safety of 72%. HSY is overvalued at $166, with an intrinsic value of $83 and a margin of safety of -98%. Of the two, BAC has the wider margin of safety.

BAC

Bank of America Corporation

$50.01

HSY

The Hershey Company

$165.61

Rewards

BAC

★Bank of America Corporation scores 100/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
★PEG ratio of 0.91 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.

HSY

★The Hershey Company has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
★The Hershey Company scores 72/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
★Management has timed buybacks well — 2 out of 3 years showed value-accretive repurchases.

Risks

BAC

⚠Gross margin of 0.0% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.22 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.

HSY

⚠FCF yield of 5.0% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.
⚠26 insider sales totaling $104.3M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.

Key Valuation Metrics

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BAC

HSY

Valuation

N/A

Free Cash Flow

$1.67B

N/A

FCF Yield

5.02%

11.94

Trailing P/E

18.73

9.64

Forward P/E

17.42

Quality & Moat

3.80%

ROIC

24.01%

10.73%

ROE

38.00%

0.00%

Gross Margin

41.95%

0.91

PEG Ratio

0.83

Balance Sheet Safety

N/A

Net Debt / Equity

0.97

N/A

Interest Coverage

N/A

Net Debt / EBITDA

1.52

2.56%

Dividend Yield

3.51%

BAC: 2Ties: 1HSY: 5

BACHSY

Historical Fundamentals

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BAC

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

HSY

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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BAC

$2.37

created per $1 retained over 3 years

Exceptional Value Creator

Σ Retained

$55.63B

Δ Market Cap

+$131.83B

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

HSY

$-5.53

created per $1 retained over 3 years

Market Cap Declined

Σ Retained

$1.91B

Δ Market Cap

$-10.55B

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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BAC

72.2% Margin of Safety

Price is 72.2% below estimated fair value

Current Price: $50.01

Strongly undervalued

Fairly valued

Strongly overvalued

Fair Value: $180.08

Strongly undervalued

Undervalued

Fairly valued

Overvalued

Strongly overvalued

HSY

98.4% Overvalued

Price is 98.4% above estimated fair value

Current Price: $165.61

Strongly undervalued

Fairly valued

Strongly overvalued

Fair Value: $83.46

Strongly undervalued

Undervalued

Fairly valued

Overvalued

Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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BAC

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

HSY

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $166?

+18.1%

Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth

Standard FCF implies +9.5%

The market implies +18.1% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +9.5%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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BAC

100/100

Wide Moat

70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

HSY

72/100

Wide Moat

70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Forensic Accounting

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BAC

-2.31

Unlikely Manipulator

Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

HSY

-2.78

Unlikely Manipulator

Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Ownership Breakdown

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BAC

Insiders 7.1%Institutions 71.9%Retail & Other 21.0%

No. of Institutional Holders4,517

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

HSY

Insiders 0.3%Institutions 90.9%Retail & Other 8.7%

No. of Institutional Holders1,851

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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BAC

Buys (3M)

Buys (12M)

No open market insider purchases found.

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

HSY

Buys (3M)

Buys (12M)

Total value (12M): $445,411

SCHECHTMAN NATALIE S

Officer

$37,258

@ $186.29 · 2025-11-24

TANNER KIRK L.

Chief Executive Officer

$370,915

@ $185.46 · 2025-11-21

TAFFET STACY

Officer

$37,238

@ $186.19 · 2025-11-21

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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BAC

Sells (3M)

Sells (12M)

Total value (12M): $20.17M

MENSAH BERNARD AMPONSAH

Officer

$4.41M

@ $46.94 · 2026-03-12

SCRIVENER THOMAS M

Officer

$2.49M

@ $49.82 · 2026-03-05

BRONSTEIN SHERI B

Officer

$2.99M

@ $49.91 · 2026-03-05

ATHANASIA DEAN C

President

$6.86M

@ $50.21 · 2026-03-03

BORTHWICK ALASTAIR M.

Chief Financial Officer

$3.42M

@ $50.24 · 2026-02-27

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

HSY

Sells (3M)

Sells (12M)

Total value (12M): $278.29M

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$4.96M

@ $165.17 · 2026-10-28

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.45M

@ $172.46 · 2026-10-23

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.04M

@ $168.15 · 2026-10-21

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.39M

@ $169.58 · 2026-10-16

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$4.90M

@ $163.31 · 2026-10-14

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$4.83M

@ $160.89 · 2026-10-07

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.19M

@ $159.56 · 2026-10-02

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$4.86M

@ $161.84 · 2026-09-30

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.34M

@ $167.23 · 2026-09-25

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.05M

@ $168.41 · 2026-09-23

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.38M

@ $169.08 · 2026-09-18

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.17M

@ $172.23 · 2026-09-16

MILTON HERSHEY SCHOOL TRUST

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.48M

@ $173.88 · 2026-09-11

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.45M

@ $172.52 · 2026-09-09

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.48M

@ $174.06 · 2026-09-04

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.31M

@ $176.91 · 2026-09-02

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.61M

@ $180.59 · 2026-08-28

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.62M

@ $187.49 · 2026-08-26

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.76M

@ $187.89 · 2026-08-21

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.53M

@ $184.35 · 2026-08-19

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.70M

@ $185.19 · 2026-08-14

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.47M

@ $182.38 · 2026-08-12

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.64M

@ $182.24 · 2026-08-07

MCCALMAN JENNIFER L.

Officer

$128,354

@ $180.78 · 2026-08-06

MILTON HERSHEY SCHOOL TRUST

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.34M

@ $178.05 · 2026-08-05

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$171,000

@ $180.00 · 2026-08-05

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.54M

@ $177.23 · 2026-07-31

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.47M

@ $182.39 · 2026-07-29

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.46M

@ $172.88 · 2026-07-24

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.14M

@ $171.17 · 2026-07-22

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$255,000

@ $170.00 · 2026-07-20

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.46M

@ $173.22 · 2026-07-17

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.18M

@ $172.53 · 2026-07-15

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.45M

@ $172.38 · 2026-07-10

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.31M

@ $176.95 · 2026-07-08

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$1.81M

@ $181.26 · 2026-07-02

ROBBIN-COKER CORDEL

Director

$22,366

@ $180.37 · 2026-07-02

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.36M

@ $178.67 · 2026-07-01

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.56M

@ $178.05 · 2026-06-26

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.30M

@ $176.82 · 2026-06-24

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$1.72M

@ $172.41 · 2026-06-18

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$260,145

@ $173.43 · 2026-06-18

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.40M

@ $180.09 · 2026-06-17

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.63M

@ $181.34 · 2026-06-12

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.29M

@ $176.31 · 2026-06-10

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.67M

@ $183.74 · 2026-06-05

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.91M

@ $195.74 · 2026-05-29

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.90M

@ $195.08 · 2026-05-27

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.85M

@ $192.47 · 2026-05-22

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.75M

@ $191.59 · 2026-05-20

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$279,375

@ $186.25 · 2026-05-18

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.79M

@ $189.55 · 2026-05-15

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.74M

@ $191.37 · 2026-05-13

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.72M

@ $185.94 · 2026-05-08

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.52M

@ $184.08 · 2026-05-06

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.68M

@ $184.14 · 2026-05-01

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.84M

@ $191.94 · 2026-04-24

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.72M

@ $190.58 · 2026-04-22

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$291,150

@ $194.10 · 2026-04-20

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$3.85M

@ $192.27 · 2026-04-17

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$5.89M

@ $196.46 · 2026-04-15

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$4.15M

@ $207.46 · 2026-04-10

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$6.23M

@ $207.76 · 2026-04-08

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$2.05M

@ $204.51 · 2026-04-02

ROBBIN-COKER CORDEL

Director

$26,161

@ $202.80 · 2026-04-02

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$6.26M

@ $208.60 · 2026-04-01

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$6.42M

@ $214.13 · 2026-03-27

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$4.31M

@ $215.34 · 2026-03-24

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$6.36M

@ $211.92 · 2026-03-20

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$325,065

@ $216.71 · 2026-03-18

HERSHEY TRUST CO

Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security

$4.37M

@ $218.58 · 2026-03-17

REIMAN JASON R

Officer

$452,140

@ $226.07 · 2026-02-24

GROVER ROHIT

Officer

$791,245

@ $226.07 · 2026-02-24

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$329,490

@ $219.66 · 2026-02-18

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$298,005

@ $198.67 · 2026-01-20

ROBBIN-COKER CORDEL

Director

$23,933

@ $184.10 · 2026-01-05

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$282,765

@ $188.51 · 2025-12-18

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$269,340

@ $179.56 · 2025-11-18

ROBBIN-COKER CORDEL

Director

$50,971

@ $168.22 · 2025-11-03

VOSKUIL STEVEN E

Chief Financial Officer

$281,280

@ $187.52 · 2025-10-20

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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BAC

😨Fear(39/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

HSY

😨Fear(37/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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BAC

⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (39)

HSY

⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (37)

View BAC Full Analysis View HSY Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: BAC vs HSY

Is Bank of America Corporation or The Hershey Company more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, BAC trades at a 72.2% margin of safety (intrinsic value $180 vs. price $50), compared to HSY's -98.4% margin of safety (intrinsic $83 vs. $166).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Bank of America Corporation or The Hershey Company?▼

BAC scores 100/100 (Wide moat), while HSY scores 72/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is Bank of America Corporation in financial distress?▼

BAC's Altman Z-Score of 0.2 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. HSY scores 4.2 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Bank of America Corporation or The Hershey Company?▼

HSY earns 24.0% ROIC versus BAC's 3.8%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, Bank of America Corporation's or The Hershey Company's?▼

BAC's dividend earns a safety score of 79/100 (Safe), compared to HSY's 30/100 (Unsafe). BAC has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.