Hostess Brands Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Hostess Brands Inc (TWNK) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Hostess Brands Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 1,390M vs 61,109M combined for its competitors (2.2% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is holding steady (+1.5% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+4.4%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Hostess Brands Inc generated 1.9% revenue growth year over year in Q3 2023, vs -5.1% for its competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 6.5% net margin compares with 7.8% for the peer group.
- Peer revenue share: Hostess Brands Inc accounted for 2.2% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 2.0% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.99M compares with $0.62M for the peer group (1.6x).
- Structure: Hostess Brands Inc operates in the following segments: Sweet Baked Goods, Cookies.
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
TWNK Sales vs. its Competitors, Q3 2023
Hostess Brands Inc reported revenue growth of 1.89 % year on year in Q3 2023, above its competitors' combined revenue change of -5.14 %.
With a net margin of 6.47 %, Hostess Brands Inc reported lower profitability than its competitors (7.79 %).
Hostess Brands Inc generated 2.16 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 2.02 % a year earlier.
API endpoints for this dataset
Hostess Brands Inc vs. its Competitors, Q3 2023
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in Hostess Brands Inc reports; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Hostess Brands Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (14) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (7) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Hostess Brands Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Food Processing industry grew revenue 10.2% year over year, combined, vs 1.9% for Hostess Brands Inc. Hostess Brands Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.32% to 0.30%, a loss of 0.02 percentage points.
Hostess Brands Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Group definitions: see Methodology: Performance Group Definitions.
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (10) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (15) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 62.50 % (5 of 8) | 12.50 % (1 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
TWNK Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
TWNK Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
TWNK Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pursuit Attractions And Hospitality Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Seneca Foods Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | J and j Snack Foods Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Hormel Foods Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Conagra Brands Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Hostess Brands Inc's best-performing competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Hostess Brands Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Voortman? has the #1 creme wafer and sugar free cookie products within the larger Cookie category in the U.S. Nabisco? is the top brand with approximately 41.4% of the overall Cookie category according to Nielsen retail data as of December 31, 2022. There is higher private label penetration in the Cookie category than the SBG category.
We face competition from other brands, large national bakeries, smaller regional operators and supermarket chains with their own private label brands. The key competitive factors in the industry include product quality, price, brand recognition and loyalty, promotional activities, access to retail outlets, sufficient shelf-space and ability to identify and satisfy consumer preferences. Some of our largest national SBG competitors include Flowers Foods, Inc., Grupo Bimbo, S.A., McKee Foods Corporation and Mondelez International, Inc. In addition, we also compete with regional manufacturers and other companies that produce cookies, candies and other snacks. At times, we experience pricing pressure in certain markets from competitor promotions and other pricing practices. However, we believe our brand recognition, product quality and innovation have generated consumer loyalty to many of our products, which helps mitigate this impact.
Publicly Traded Peers of Hostess Brands inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
 Hostess Brands inc |
4,474.17 | 1,389.64 |
 General Mills Inc |
18,030.41 | 18,296.60 |
 Hormel Foods Corporation |
12,029.95 | 12,147.26 |
 Conagra Brands Inc |
6,984.00 | 11,244.70 |
 Post Holdings Inc |
4,084.51 | 8,412.50 |
 J and j Snack Foods Corp |
1,644.77 | 1,524.49 |
| SUBTOTAL | 51,880.86 | 62,498.52 |
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Sources: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Hostess Brands inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Hostess Brands Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from Hostess Brands Inc reports and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Freshpet Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Srx Health Solutions Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Central Garden and Pet Company | Company report | 85% |
| Sovos Brands Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Mondelez International, Inc. | Company report | 85% |
| The Hain Celestial Group Inc | Company report | 85% |
| BTTR | Company report | 85% |
| Flowers Foods, Inc. | Company report | 85% |
| Bark Inc | Company report | 85% |
| General Mills, Inc. | Company report | 85% |
| Keurig Dr Pepper Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Nightfood Holdings Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Petiq Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Hydrofarm Holdings Group Inc | Company report | 85% |
| McKee Foods Corporation | Company report | 85% |
| Mars, Incorporated | Company report | 85% |
| Grupo Bimbo, S.A. | Company report | 85% |
| Blue Buffalo | Company report | 85% |
| Nestlé Purina PetCare Company | Company report | 85% |
| Little Debbie | Company report | 85% |
| Hill’s Pet Nutrition | Company report | 85% |
| Hill’s | Company report | 85% |
| Farmer Brothers Co | Company report | 85% |
| Hormel Foods Corporation | Company report | 85% |
| Post Holdings Inc | Company report | 85% |
| J and j Snack Foods Corp | Company report | 85% |
| Mccormick and Company Incorporated | Company report | 85% |
| Kraft Heinz Co | Company report | 85% |
| Treehouse Foods Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Seneca Foods Corporation | Company report | 85% |
| Kellanova | Company report | 85% |
| B and g Foods inc | Company report | 85% |
| The Marzetti Company | Company report | 85% |
| The Simply Good Foods Company | Company report | 85% |
| Conagra Brands Inc | Company report | 85% |
| The Campbells Company | Company report | 85% |
| Pepsico Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Tyson Foods Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Hershey Co | Company report | 85% |
Company report basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Hostess Brands Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Hostess Brands Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | Sweet Baked Goods 89.39 % |
| General Mills Inc | United States Meals and Baking Solutions Operating Unit 24.61 % |
| Hormel Foods Corporation | Retail 60.21 % |
| Conagra Brands Inc | Refrigerated And Frozen 40.59 % |
| Post Holdings Inc | Post Consumer Brands 51.15 % |
| J and j Snack Foods Corp | Food Service 62.35 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
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Hostess Brands Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | 4,474 | 992,596 | 90,342 |
| General Mills Inc | 18,030 | 609,887 | -29,703 |
| Hormel Foods Corporation | 12,030 | 607,363 | 17,123 |
| Conagra Brands Inc | 6,984 | 646,247 | -109,563 |
| Post Holdings Inc | 4,085 | 638,278 | 22,284 |
| J and j Snack Foods Corp | 1,645 | 846,941 | 27,374 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 47,407 | 624,791 | -22,070 |
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Hostess Brands Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent report. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | United States 98.76 % |
| J and j Snack Foods Corp | US 95.74 % |
| Nathan s Famous Inc | US 97.75 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Hostess Brands Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Food Processing industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (89 companies). See the full Food Processing industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 35.15 % | 21.82 % (avg) | +13.3 pp |
| Operating Margin | 16.11 % | industry median | +10.7 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 18.52 % | -0.55 % (avg) | +19.1 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 11.03 % | 4.77 % (avg) | +6.3 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Hostess Brands Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Food Processing industry average (89 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns. See the full Food Processing industry valuation benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 28.7x | 27.6x | +1.1x |
| EV / EBITDA | 17.5x | 12.1x | +5.3x |
| P/B | 2.0x | 2.7x | -0.7x |
| Return on Equity | 6.89 % | industry aggregate | -3.59 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 4.36 % | 0.24 % (avg) | 4.12 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Hostess Brands Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in company reports.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 9.56 % | 6.74 % | 12.00 % | 12.34 % | 18.93 % |
| Operating Margin | 14.29 % | 14.99 % | 13.31 % | 17.58 % | 16.22 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 3.01 % | 3.18 % | 2.93 % | 4.07 % | 4.32 % |
| P/E | - | 25.2x | 16.6x | 21.8x | 21.1x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Hostess Brands Inc's Strategic Group Map
Hostess Brands Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC are labeled. See Methodology: Strategic Group Map for how this chart is built.
Hostess Brands Inc's trailing-12-month revenue growth of 5.6% and operating margin of 16.1% compares with an average of 5.1% growth and 12.6% margin across its 8 closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC -- Hostess Brands Inc sits above that peer average on growth and above it on margin.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Hostess Brands Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Barriers to Entry | High (capital intensive) | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 11.03 % vs industry average 4.77 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
Note: see Methodology: Porter's Five Forces. Supplier power and buyer power are covered on Hostess Brands Inc's dedicated Suppliers and Customers pages, not here.
Hostess Brands Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
See Methodology: GE/McKinsey Matrix for how the two axes are built.
Hostess Brands Inc falls in the Low attractiveness / High strength cell: Selective.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Hostess Brands Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Operating margin 10.7 points above the industry median.
Weaknesses
No rule matched.
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- High capital intensity requires continuous reinvestment just to keep pace with the industry.
Methodology: see Methodology: SWOT Analysis.
Hostess Brands Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | 0.50 | 1.76 | 0.54 |
| General Mills Inc | 0.07 | 0.65 | 2.07 |
| Hormel Foods Corporation | 0.47 | 2.15 | 0.45 |
| Conagra Brands Inc | 0.05 | 0.89 | 1.07 |
| Post Holdings Inc | 0.23 | 1.81 | 2.80 |
| J and j Snack Foods Corp | 0.40 | 2.40 | 0.02 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Hostess Brands Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | Q3 2023 | +1.9 % | -65.6 % |
| General Mills Inc | Q3 2026 | -2.8 % | -67.0 % |
| Hormel Foods Corporation | Q2 2026 | -2.3 % | -67.6 % |
| Conagra Brands Inc | Q3 2026 | -1.4 % | +6.0 % |
| Post Holdings Inc | Q2 2026 | -1.8 % | -41.5 % |
| J and j Snack Foods Corp | Q2 2026 | -6.2 % | -20.1 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | -1.3 % | -56.3 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Hostess Brands Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | Q3 2023 | +1.0 % | +29.7 % |
| General Mills Inc | Q3 2026 | -2.8 % | -17.4 % |
| Hormel Foods Corporation | Q2 2026 | -2.2 % | -5.6 % |
| Conagra Brands Inc | Q3 2026 | -0.7 % | -15.7 % |
| Post Holdings Inc | Q2 2026 | -0.5 % | -37.3 % |
| J and j Snack Foods Corp | Q2 2026 | -9.6 % | -20.5 % |
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Hostess Brands Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | 3.60% | 3.83% | 6.89% |
| General Mills Inc | - | - | - |
| Hormel Foods Corporation | 2.56% | 2.95% | 4.33% |
| Conagra Brands Inc | - | - | - |
| Post Holdings Inc | 2.24% | 2.05% | 8.69% |
| J and j Snack Foods Corp | 3.67% | 5.03% | 5.40% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Hostess Brands Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Hostess Brands inc | 35.67 | 3.22 |
| General Mills Inc | - | 0.99 |
| Hormel Foods Corporation | 34.74 | 0.99 |
| Conagra Brands Inc | - | 0.62 |
| Post Holdings Inc | 14.83 | 0.49 |
| J and j Snack Foods Corp | 33.74 | 1.08 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | - | 0.83 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.