3 Chocolate Stocks for Halloween

No other food item has survived the onslaught of the healthy eating trend quite as well as chocolate. The worldwide chocolate confectionery market was valued at $114.33 billion at the end of 2019 and is projected to reach $136.42 billion by 2027, growing 2.3% annually. A more optimistic projection indicates the global chocolate market is set to reach $171.6 billion by 2026, rising 5.3% annually.

It’s hard not to be tempted by the growth prospects of chocolate makers, once they bounce back from the pandemic-led sales decline. Long-term investors with a taste for the confectionary play may want to look at the following chocolate stocks.

With strong fundamentals, product innovation and bountiful demand from emerging markets, these companies are well positioned to corner the largest slice of the global chocolate market. Most of them are trading at or above our fair value estimates, so investors may want to wait for a meaningful pullback to create some margin of safety and an attractive entry point.

US confectionery behemoth Hershey (HSY) controls around 45% of the nearly $25 billion domestic chocolate market. The firm owns more than 80 brands, including popular names such as Reese's, Kit Kat, and Kisses. Although Hershey's products are sold in about 85 countries (including Brazil, China, India, and Mexico), just 10% of its total sales comes from outside the US.

Under the leadership of chief executive Michele Buck, the company has been ramping up investments in its core domestic brands while pulling back international spend, says a Morningstar equity report. Hershey has seen some sales decline in recent months as consumers have taken fewer trips to convenience stores (source of a quarter of its sale) and heeded social distancing mandates.

This has been partially offset by outsize e-commerce gains (where Hershey realised a robust 200% year-over-year sales jump in the second quarter), the reports says - although it cautions that at just 2% of its sales mix, e-commerce won't materially aid its near-term trajectory.

On a positive note, though, while the pandemic will dampen the all-important Halloween period (which accounts for 10% of the firm’s consolidated sales), the remainder of festive season sales are less likely to be impacted, says Morningstar sector director, Erin Lash, pointing out how resilient the firm was during the 2008 financial crisis. “With its mix of leading brands and focus on innovation, we don’t think Hershey is poised to drop the ball in this key period,” says Lash, who puts the stock’s fair value at $131.

The largest food and beverage manufacturer in the world by sales, Nestle (NSRGY) amassed more than CHF 90 billion ($98 billion) in annual revenue. Its portfolio of global products includes brands such as Nescafe, Perrier, and Purina as well as popular chocolate brands including Milkybar and Aero.

While Nestle faces competition from small, more agile competitors, its research and development, marketing, and trade spending capabilities ensure its “products will always be in sync with the latest local consumer trends and easily available wherever consumers are shopping,” says Morningstar equity analyst, Ioannis Pontikis.

Nestle’s wide economic moat is underpinned by its entrenched position with retailers and a durable cost edge. “The firm's structural baseline returns are in the mid- to high-teen percentage range, and we anticipate that it will generate excess economic profits for at least the next 20 years, supporting our wide moat rating,” says Pontikis, who puts the stock’s fair value at $100 per ADR.

Chocolate and snack giant Mondelez (MDLZ) owns household brands including Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Halls, Trident, and Cadbury, among others. The company dominates several product aisles including biscuits (44% of sales), chocolate (32%), gum and candy (13%), beverage (4%), and cheese and grocery (7%). It generates just over one third of revenue from developing markets, about the same level from Europe, and the rest from North America.

The confectioner’s wide moat stems from strong retail relationships and the vast resources it utilises to support its portfolio of well-known brands, seven of which generate annual sales of more than $1 billion each. These attributes help drive traffic into retail outlets. “As a leading player in the global snack category, Mondelez has earned a wide economic moat rating resulting from the economies of scale gained from its expansive global network, with nearly three fourths of revenue derived outside North America,” says a Morningstar report.

The snacking giant’s dominance is evidenced by its share of various markets in which it operates. “Mondelez holds the top spot in the sweet biscuits category (with 15% share of the worldwide space, according to Euromonitor) and is the second-leading global sugar candy manufacturer (with 2.4% share, primarily as Halls is the second-largest candy brand worldwide),” points out Lash, who puts the stock’s fair value at $53.