According to science, chocolate is good for our health…Besides being delicious, chocolate can be good for at least one other thing – lining your pocketbook! Mars has been a leader in the chocolate industry for over 100 years. So how about some Mars stock? Read on to learn about investing in Mars Stock – and the chocolate industry in general! 

Considering that the global chocolate market is forecasted to reach $139.94 billion by 2024, you might want to consider taking a bite out of this giant. 

But if you want to take a bite of Mars candy stock, you won’t be able to. Mars has been a privately held company since its founding in 1883. However, I have a few more bars up my sleeve you may be interested in. 

Can You Buy Mars Stock?

• How much do you love candy? If you’re anything like me, it’s a lot. So Mars stock would be something I’d be interested in looking at. But sadly, Mars is not a a publicly traded company. Therefore, you can’t buy Mars stock. 

Mars Is the Walmart of Candy

Like Walmart, Mars is a big name. With an estimated wealth of $126.5 billion and annual sales of $18 billion, the Mars family and brand is the Walmart of candy. Ranked as the 6th largest privately held company in the US by Forbes, they are an industry giant. 

Now Mars may be best known for its chocolate bar; its is only a small piece in a vast puzzle. The Mars brand covers everything from confectionery to pet food.

All of this includes many famous brands from Skittles, Snickers, Pedigree, Whiskas and Uncle Ben’s…you get the point. The corporate name since 2016 is actually Mars Wrigley, after Mars purchased the chewing gum behemoth from Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway.

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Why Mars Remains Private – and Quiet

While Mars Inc. may be the third-largest privately held company in the US, it hasn’t told the public much about itself.

Since 1911, the family has remained tight-lipped. Given the fact that they don’t have to disclose a peep of information – they are private, and they have few reasons to change. 

Unlike competitors Hershey Co. and Modelez, both of which are traded on the NYSE, Mars Inc. has no intention of following suit. 

Part of the reasoning could be because private firms can keep some basic information off-limits to competitors.

Information such as how much they spent on advertising or how much they paid their CEO. By comparison, public firms must air their dirty and not so dirty laundry with the SEC quarterly.

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How to Buy Mars Stock

Unfortunately, you can’t buy Mars stock because Mars is a privately owned company. But, don’t fear, you have other stock options to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

However, if you want to discuss other stocks to trade, make sure to check out our trade room. 

Big Chocolate

Have you heard of the term Big Chocolate before? The idea that a few brands dominate much of the chocolate and confectionery industry. In fact, this term rode on the coat-tails of Big Tobacco and Big Oil. 

The “Big Chocolate” companies that fall under this umbrella term are  Mondelez, Mars Wrigley, Nestlé, and The Hershey Company. 

Altogether, these companies process about 12% of the world’s 3 million tons of cocoa each year. How impressive is that?! Check out our stock watch lists for stocks that have good trading setups.

Is Mars Owned by Nestle?

• We’ve all heard of Nestle right? Nestle is a Swiss company, and has been the largest food company in the world since 2014. Is Mars owned by them? The answer is no. They’re two of the largest chocolate producers in the world, however. But you can’t buy Mars stock because they’re a private company. 

Big Chocolate Stocks You Can Buy on the Stock Market

Before I get into the alternatives to Mars candy stock, please keep in mind we are amid the coronavirus. I’m sure you’re quite aware of Covid, but that means the quarterly results for these long-standing companies may look a little different for a few quarters than their long-term trends. The volatility in markets have a lot of stocks moving every day. In fact, we send out real time stock alerts to our members to catch the big moves in the market.

The Hershey Company ($HSY)

The name Hershey is synonymous with chocolate. What’s important to note is this stock historically has been an out-performer. In fact, it has beaten the S&P 500 over the last ten years!

In March, Hershey retail sales growth registered 10% but dropped after that. Unfortunately, even though sales in North America grew 2.1%, it was their second-lowest quarterly sales growth in two years. But it’s not all doom and gloom; their Q1 net sales rose by 1% year over year to $2.04 billion. 

The Q2 results didn’t fair so well. Hershey’s net income declined 14% compared to the same quarter in 2019. Hershey stock is down 7.5% from its pre-crisis high, and pays a 2.15% dividend.

As you can see from this May 2020 research report,  Hershey Company has strong growth and quality scores. Report is created using StockRover.

It’s important to point out that this iconic brand has been around for 125 years. To say they’re resilient is an understatement.

They’ve outlasted depressions, wars and even pandemics. I see no reason why they won’t come out of this just fine! And Hershey is a good for stock trading.

Mondelez ($MDLZ)

Without a doubt, you’ve heard of those companies listed above, but you probably haven’t heard of Mondelez.

Mondelez International is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy, and powdered beverages. Despite possibly not hearing about Mondelez, you’ve definitely heard of some of the iconic brands it owns, like Cadbury, Chips Ahoy!, Ritz, Trident, or maybe even some of their chocolate brands like Toblerone.

 Luckily for you, Mondelez is listed on the stock market. So even though you can’t buy Mars Inc stock, you can buy Mondelez stock. Mondelez is a much larger company than Hershey, with a market cap of around $83 billion compared to Hershey’s $30 billion.

Like Hershey, Mondelez reported a great Q1, but then saw sales slow down in Q2, and with increased costs related to the pandemic, earnings declined by 32% year over year. 

Despite the larger earnings decline, Mondelez stock is currently trading back at its previous highs, and their dividend yield matches $HSY – 2.16%; this may be one stock to stockpile. Make sure you take our trading courses to know when the best time to buy is.

Parting Thoughts for Long Term Investors

You’re probably wondering, with the S&P 500 back at all time highs despite a global pandemic and resulting recession, is now the time to invest? 

Perhaps a better approach as a long-term investor is to spend your time looking for undervalued companies to buy instead of trying your hand at timing the market. 

As always, I suggest you do your due diligence and research before buying any stock—especially one you plan on holding for the long haul. Thanks for reading our Mars stock review! Now go treat yourself to some chocolate!