Sifting through countless of stocks in the Food Products industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Darling Ingredients Inc. or The Hershey Company because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company

Darling Ingredients Inc. develops, produces, and sells sustainable natural ingredients from edible and inedible bio-nutrients in North America, Europe, China, South America, and internationally. The Feed Ingredients segment collects and processes animal by-products into non-food grade oils and protein meals; bakery residuals into cookie meal used in poultry and swine rations; used cooking oil into non-food grade fats; and porcine and bovine blood into blood plasma powder and hemoglobin. This segment is also involved in the processing of selected portions of slaughtered animals into pet food, as well as of cattle hides and hog skins; production of organic fertilizers; rearing and processing of black soldier fly larvae into specialty proteins and fats for use in animal feed and pet food; and grease trap collection services to food service establishments. Its Food Ingredients segment engages in the purchase and processing of beef and pork bone chips, beef hides, and pig and fish skins into collagen; collection and processing of porcine and bovine intestines into natural casings; extraction and processing of porcine mucosa into crude heparin; collection and refining of animal fat into food grade fat; and processing of bones to bone chips and bone ash. The Fuel Ingredients segment is involved in the conversion of organic sludge and food waste into biogas; collection and conversion of fallen stock and certain animal by-products into low-grade energy sources; and processing of manure into natural bio-phosphate. It also provides environmental services, including disposal services; and yellow grease, fuel feedstock, and agriculture-based biofuels. The company sells its products under the Rendac, Sonac, FASA, Ecoson, Rousselot, Gelnex, and CTH brands. The company was formerly known as Darling International Inc. and changed its name to Darling Ingredients Inc. in May 2014. Darling Ingredients Inc. was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. The company offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels. It provides its products primarily under the Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kisses, Jolly Rancher, Almond Joy, Brookside, barkTHINS, Cadbury, Good & Plenty, Heath, Kit Kat, Payday, Rolo, Twizzlers, Sour Strips, Whoppers, York, Ice Breakers, Breath Savers, Bubble Yum, Lily’s, SkinnyPop, Pirates Booty, Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels, and ONE Bar brands, as well as under the Pelon Pelo Rico, IO-IO, and Sofit brands. The company markets and sells its products to wholesale distributors, chain grocery stores, mass merchandisers, chain drug stores, vending companies, wholesale clubs, convenience stores, dollar stores, concessionaires, and department stores. It exports its products in approximately 65 countries worldwide. The Hershey Company was founded in 1894 and is based in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Latest Food Products and Darling Ingredients Inc., The Hershey Company Stock News

As of September 11, 2026, Darling Ingredients Inc. had a $10.3 billion market capitalization, compared to the Food Products median of $1.7 million. Darling Ingredients Inc.’s stock is up 80.9% in 2026, down 1% in the previous five trading days and up 108.02% in the past year.

Currently, Darling Ingredients Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 17.6. Darling Ingredients Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $6.5 billion with a 9.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 16.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $6.816 per share for the current fiscal year. Darling Ingredients Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of September 11, 2026, The Hershey Company had a $34.8 billion market cap, putting it in the 91st percentile of all stocks. The Hershey Company’s stock is down 4.8% in 2026, down 1% in the previous five trading days and down 6.62% in the past year.

Currently, The Hershey Company’s price-earnings ratio is 23.7. The Hershey Company’s trailing 12-month revenue is $12.2 billion with a 12.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 6.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $8.490 per share for the current fiscal year. The Hershey Company currently has a 3.4% dividend yield.

How We Compare Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Darling Ingredients Inc.	DAR	B
The Hershey Company	HSY	D

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Darling Ingredients Inc. has a Value Score of 65, which is Value. The Hershey Company has a Value Score of 30, which is Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: Darling Ingredients Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, Darling Ingredients Inc. is considered to have better value than The Hershey Company. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, Darling Ingredients Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Darling Ingredients Inc.	DAR	A
The Hershey Company	HSY	A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Darling Ingredients Inc. has a Growth Score of 83, which is Very Strong. The Hershey Company has a Growth Score of 100, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Growth Grade breakdown above, both Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s upward growth, further research should be conducted into both companies’ other financial metrics before deciding whether to invest.

Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Darling Ingredients Inc.	DAR	A
The Hershey Company	HSY	D

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Darling Ingredients Inc. has a Momentum Score of 91, which is Very Strong. The Hershey Company has a Momentum Score of 39, which is Weak.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Darling Ingredients Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Darling Ingredients Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to The Hershey Company. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Darling Ingredients Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company Grades

In addition to Momentum, Growth and Value, A+ Investor also provides grades for Estimate Revisions and Quality.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Darling Ingredients Inc. or The Hershey Company Stock?

Overall, Darling Ingredients Inc. stock has a Value Score of 65, Growth Score of 83 and Momentum Score of 91.

The Hershey Company stock has a Value Score of 30, Growth Score of 100 and Momentum Score of 39.

Comparing Darling Ingredients Inc. and The Hershey Company’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.