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More Reading from MarketBeat 3 Candy Stocks Getting a Spring Sugar RushReported by Chris Markoch. Article Published: 4/3/2026. 
Key Points - Candy stocks are outperforming in 2026 as seasonal demand and pricing power help offset higher cocoa costs.
- Hershey and Mondelez remain dominant players, while Tootsie Roll offers a more speculative, underfollowed opportunity.
- Despite premium valuations, these stocks may continue delivering returns through dividends and strategic cost management.
- Special Report: Elon Musk already made me a "wealthy man"
The calendar may say it's spring, but it's been looking a lot like Christmas for candy stocks. That's because investors know that Halloween and Christmas are the warm-up acts for chocolate lovers. The real action comes around Easter and Mother's Day. Investor interest has helped several well-known candy stocks post positive returns in 2026. This trend continued despite broader drawdowns in many other sectors, including consumer staples. A former Pentagon and CIA advisor is flagging April 15 as a critical date for gold investors. He says the U.S. government is set to grant final authorization for mining operations at what he believes is the largest gold deposit in the world. The company behind it trades at just $2 per share and has largely flown under the radar. He believes early investors positioned before the announcement stand to benefit most. View his full analysis and see the details behind this gold play Investors on the sidelines may wonder if the upside is already priced in. Much depends on cocoa prices and trade-related costs such as tariffs. If those headwinds ease through 2026, analysts may revise their outlooks. Even if input costs remain elevated, companies have had a year to implement strategies to mitigate the impact. That said, these stocks are not cheap. Each trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio well above the broader market and the consumer staples sector average. On the flip side, these companies pay sustainable dividends that provide income even if growth slows. Hershey Balances Cocoa Costs With Snack Growth The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is an iconic business that continues to deliver value to consumers and shareholders. One example is its strategic push into salty snacks. That category was a key growth driver in 2025, helping offset the legacy confectionery business's exposure to higher cocoa prices. That dynamic showed up in the company's Q4 2025 earnings report, where Hershey beat adjusted earnings per share (EPS) expectations by more than 20%. Although EPS fell 36% year-over-year, the result was considerably better than feared. Analysts are mixed on HSY, which has a consensus price target near $222, roughly 10% above the current price. The technical picture is mixed as well: HSY gapped up after its February earnings release but has since surrendered those gains. Why the pullback? Momentum indicators suggest this may simply be profit-taking on a stock trading at a rich ~46x earnings. Traders may wait for a better entry point, while long-term investors could view current levels as a buying opportunity. Mondelez Offers Steady Growth at a Reasonable Premium Mondelez International (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is the go-to candy stock for many investors who choose to own just one. The stock is up about 6% in 2026 and down nearly 15% over the last 12 months. For patient investors, this may be a slow-but-steady story. First, Mondelez appears to be favored by institutional investors. Unlike Hershey — which saw heavy institutional selling in the last quarter — the "smart money" has been modestly accumulating MDLZ shares (institutional ownership data). Second, the chart is the most "Goldilocks" of the three names. Like HSY, MDLZ bounced after its quarterly report, but the earnings beats and the subsequent rally were modest. The stock has given back some gains but has formed a solid base above its January low, which could support further upside. Valuation looks mixed: trading around 30x earnings on a trailing basis, Mondelez is at a premium, but at roughly 18x forward earnings the stock offers reasonable value. Tootsie Roll's Niche Appeal Could Deliver Upside Tootsie Roll (NYSE: TR), like its namesake candy, is an acquired taste. MarketBeat shows just one analyst covering the stock, and institutional ownership is only about 14%. That profile is both a risk and an opportunity. The lack of analyst coverage and institutional support means individual investors may need to drive interest, but it also creates the potential for asymmetric gains if the business outperforms expectations (institutional ownership). The technical setup may already reflect that opportunity. TR shares were sold off sharply after the company's Q4 2025 earnings report, despite year-over-year revenue and earnings growth. Since then, the stock has recovered, reversing those losses and showing signs of a constructive base. That said, continued earnings progress is essential. Management noted, "During fourth quarter 2025, tariffs on cocoa were rescinded and therefore we should realize some additional cost reductions on these purchases in 2026." If cost pressures ease as expected, TR could look especially attractive. Even with that potential, TR trades at about 32x earnings — a premium to its historical average — so investors should weigh the risk-reward carefully.  
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