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Compare Stocks › HSY vs ORCL

The Hershey Company (HSY) vs Oracle Corporation (ORCL): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-08-03, HSY is overvalued at $175, with a DCF intrinsic value of $129 and a margin of safety of -36%. ORCL is undervalued at $130, with an intrinsic value of $404 and a margin of safety of 68%. Of the two, ORCL has the wider margin of safety.

HSY
The Hershey Company
$175.05
VS
ORCL
Oracle Corporation
$129.87

Rewards

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.
ORCL
  • ★Gross margin of 65.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $3.80 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.

Risks

HSY
  • ⚠28 insider sales totaling $104.2M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
ORCL
  • ⚠Despite buyback spending, shares outstanding increased in 3 out of 4 years — stock-based compensation is offsetting repurchases.
  • ⚠High leverage (3.15x net debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
  • ⚠Net debt/EBITDA of 4.4x indicates heavy leverage — it would take over 4 years of EBITDA to pay off net debt.

Key Valuation Metrics

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HSY
ORCL
Valuation
$1.74B
Free Cash Flow
$-24.54B
4.96%
FCF Yield
-6.56%
23.91
Trailing P/E
22.28
17.74
Forward P/E
11.93
Quality & Moat
21.19%
ROIC
9.15%
32.81%
ROE
53.38%
38.38%
Gross Margin
65.82%
1.00
PEG Ratio
0.73
Balance Sheet Safety
1.12
Net Debt / Equity
3.15
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
1.89
Net Debt / EBITDA
4.44
3.32%
Dividend Yield
1.54%
HSY: 6Ties: 1ORCL: 5
HSYORCL

Historical Fundamentals

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HSY

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.

ORCL

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.

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.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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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
ORCL
$3.51
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$25.08B
Δ Market Cap
+$87.99B
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

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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HSY
35.7% Overvalued
Price is 35.7% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $175.05
Fair Value: $129.03
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
ORCL
67.8% Margin of Safety
Price is 67.8% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $129.87
Fair Value: $403.51
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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HSY

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $175?

+19.0%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +9.7%

The market implies +19.0% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +9.7%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

ORCL

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

Economic Moat Score

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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.

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.
ORCL
67/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving reinvestment efficiency would strengthen the moat.

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.

Forensic Accounting

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HSY
-2.78
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.
ORCL
-2.58
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.

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.

Ownership Breakdown

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HSY
Insiders 0.3%Institutions 89.1%Retail & Other 10.6%
No. of Institutional Holders1,894
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.
ORCL
Insiders 40.5%Institutions 43.9%Retail & Other 15.6%
No. of Institutional Holders4,502
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.

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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HSY
0
Buys (3M)
3
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
ORCL
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
FAIRHEAD RONA ALISON
Director
$112,258
@ $233.87 · 2025-07-07
MOORMAN CHARLES W IV
Director
$947,913
@ $172.35 · 2025-02-12
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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HSY
28
Sells (3M)
55
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $171.32M
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
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
$1.81M
@ $181.26 · 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
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
$2.05M
@ $204.51 · 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
GROVER ROHIT
Officer
$791,245
@ $226.07 · 2026-02-24
REIMAN JASON R
Officer
$452,140
@ $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
VOSKUIL STEVEN E
Chief Financial Officer
$283,680
@ $189.12 · 2025-09-18
VOSKUIL STEVEN E
Chief Financial Officer
$267,795
@ $178.53 · 2025-08-18
BUCK MICHELE G
Chief Executive Officer
$3.74M
@ $194.00 · 2025-07-30
BUCK MICHELE G
Chief Executive Officer
$3.57M
@ $185.00 · 2025-07-23
GROVER ROHIT
Officer
$240,120
@ $180.00 · 2025-07-21
BUCK MICHELE G
Chief Executive Officer
$3.47M
@ $180.00 · 2025-07-21
VOSKUIL STEVEN E
Chief Financial Officer
$900,000
@ $180.00 · 2025-07-21
GROVER ROHIT
Officer
$233,275
@ $175.00 · 2025-07-01
BUCK MICHELE G
Chief Executive Officer
$3.38M
@ $175.00 · 2025-07-01
TUROFF JAMES
General Counsel
$227,500
@ $175.00 · 2025-07-01
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
ORCL
1
Sells (3M)
15
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $126.77M
HENLEY JEFFREY O
Officer and Director
$63.66M
@ $159.16 · 2026-06-24
LEVEY STUART A
Officer
$2.64M
@ $176.19 · 2026-04-16
MAGOUYRK CLAYTON M
Chief Executive Officer
$1.55M
@ $155.23 · 2026-02-09
KEHRING DOUGLAS A
Officer
$6.82M
@ $194.89 · 2026-01-15
HURA MARK
Officer
$2.95M
@ $196.89 · 2025-12-24
SELIGMAN NAOMI O
Director
$437,064
@ $196.61 · 2025-12-23
MAGOUYRK CLAYTON M
Chief Executive Officer
$1.93M
@ $192.52 · 2025-12-19
SMITH MARIA
Officer
$2.80M
@ $280.31 · 2025-10-23
MAGOUYRK CLAYTON M
Chief Executive Officer
$11.07M
@ $276.64 · 2025-10-21
LEVEY STUART A
Officer
$5.93M
@ $300.00 · 2025-10-10
SELIGMAN NAOMI O
Director
$641,958
@ $288.91 · 2025-09-26
SICILIA MICHAEL D
Officer
$10.87M
@ $321.16 · 2025-09-23
SICILIA MICHAEL D
Officer
$5.12M
@ $313.60 · 2025-09-16
MAGOUYRK CLAYTON M
President
$6.31M
@ $297.11 · 2025-09-12
SICILIA MICHAEL D
Officer
$4.04M
@ $254.48 · 2025-08-05
SELIGMAN NAOMI O
Director
$770,656
@ $233.32 · 2025-07-16
SMITH MARIA
Officer
$2.33M
@ $232.99 · 2025-07-03
CATZ SAFRA A
Chief Executive Officer
$267.24M
@ $212.01 · 2025-06-27
CATZ SAFRA A
Chief Executive Officer
$794.64M
@ $212.50 · 2025-06-26
CATZ SAFRA A
Chief Executive Officer
$764.01M
@ $206.77 · 2025-06-23
MAGOUYRK CLAYTON M
Officer
$3.21M
@ $214.10 · 2025-06-17
CONRADES GEORGE HENRY
Director
$1.74M
@ $213.49 · 2025-06-17
SELIGMAN NAOMI O
Director
$428,562
@ $149.53 · 2025-05-05
SELIGMAN NAOMI O
Director
$291,620
@ $145.81 · 2025-04-02
CATZ SAFRA A
Chief Executive Officer
$705.46M
@ $185.40 · 2025-01-24
SMITH MARIA
Officer
$1.04M
@ $165.00 · 2024-09-16
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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HSY
FearGreed
😨Fear(38/100)

"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.
ORCL
FearGreed
😨Fear(33/100)

"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.

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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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 (38)
ORCL
⚪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 (33)
View HSY Full AnalysisView ORCL Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: HSY vs ORCL

Is The Hershey Company or Oracle Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, ORCL trades at a 67.8% margin of safety (intrinsic value $404 vs. price $130), compared to HSY's -35.7% margin of safety (intrinsic $129 vs. $175).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, The Hershey Company or Oracle Corporation?▼

HSY scores 72/100 (Wide moat), while ORCL scores 67/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is Oracle Corporation in financial distress?▼

ORCL's Altman Z-Score of 1.6 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 company has better free cash flow, The Hershey Company or Oracle Corporation?▼

The Hershey Company (HSY) generates a 5.0% free cash flow yield, compared to Oracle Corporation's -6.6%. A higher FCF yield means the business converts more of its market value into cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested.

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

HSY earns 21.2% ROIC versus ORCL's 9.2%. 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, The Hershey Company's or Oracle Corporation's?▼

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