JPMorgan Chase & Co. Raises Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $189.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $187.00 to $189.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 1.41% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on HSY. Bank of America upped their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Hershey from $192.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $193.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $176.83.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $186.38 on Monday. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $186.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $175.13.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The company’s revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total transaction of $281,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 56,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,654,698.88. This represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total value of $3,742,260.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,563,056. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 22,290 shares of company stock worth $4,307,220. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 129.5% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.