Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Receives $177.67 Average PT from Analysts

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fifteen have issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $179.3158.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Hershey from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $167.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $169.86 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $34.43 billion, a PE ratio of 22.56, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.26. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $186.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.05. Hershey has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total value of $281,280.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 56,819 shares in the company, valued at $10,654,698.88. This trade represents a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Kennon Green & Company LLC raised its position in Hershey by 33.3% in the first quarter. Kennon Green & Company LLC now owns 43,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,379,000 after acquiring an additional 10,784 shares during the period. William Allan Corp raised its position in Hershey by 173.1% in the first quarter. William Allan Corp now owns 18,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,180,000 after acquiring an additional 11,785 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter worth about $224,000. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its position in Hershey by 9.5% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 31,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,460,000 after acquiring an additional 2,757 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter worth about $55,269,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Company Profile

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.