HSY vs NRG Comparison

Hershey is a leading US confectionery manufacturer (around a $54 billion market, according to Euromonitor), controlling around 36% of the domestic chocolate space. Beyond its namesake label, the firm's portfolio has expanded over the last 85 years and now comprises 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 US, including Brazil, India, and Mexico. The firm has sought inorganic opportunities to extend its reach beyond its core confectionery business, adding Amplify Snack Brands and its Skinny Pop ready-to-eat popcorn to its portfolio, as well as Pirate Brands and Dot's Pretzels over the past few years.

NRG Energy is one of the largest retail energy providers in the US, with 6 million customers. Vivint Smart Home, which NRG acquired in 2023, has 2 million home-services customers. NRG also is one of the largest US independent power producers, with 13 gigawatts of coal, gas, and oil power generation capacity primarily in Texas. The LS Power asset acquisition will add 13 GW of gas-fired power plants mostly in the Eastern US. NRG exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a stand-alone entity in December 2003.