Recent Analysts’ Ratings Updates for Hershey (HSY)

Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Hershey (NYSE: HSY) in the last few weeks:

• 10/23/2024 – Hershey had its price target lowered by analysts at Piper Sandler from $179.00 to $165.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 10/22/2024 – Hershey is now covered by analysts at Redburn Atlantic. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock.
• 10/15/2024 – Hershey had its price target lowered by analysts at Bank of America Co. from $200.00 to $195.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 10/14/2024 – Hershey had its price target lowered by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $188.00 to $180.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 10/7/2024 – Hershey was downgraded by analysts at UBS Group AG from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating. They now have a $209.00 price target on the stock, down previously from $226.00.
• 10/7/2024 – Hershey was downgraded by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating. They now have a $205.00 price target on the stock, down previously from $230.00.
• 9/26/2024 – Hershey was downgraded by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating. They now have a $163.00 price target on the stock, down previously from $184.00.
• 9/24/2024 – Hershey had its price target lowered by analysts at Barclays PLC from $204.00 to $202.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 9/10/2024 – Hershey had its price target raised by analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $191.00 to $199.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 8/27/2024 – Hershey was downgraded by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating. They now have a $182.00 price target on the stock, down previously from $195.00.

Hershey Trading Down 0.8 %

HSY opened at $181.98 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $193.04 and its 200-day moving average is $192.88. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $36.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 14.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,372,965,000 after buying an additional 2,158,912 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 30,461.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,100,130,000 after purchasing an additional 571,766 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 297.9% during the 2nd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,959,000 after purchasing an additional 537,419 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $82,123,000. Finally, Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 3,404.3% during the 1st quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 256,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,879,000 after purchasing an additional 249,129 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.