DA Davidson Has Pessimistic View of Hershey FY2025 Earnings

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) – Research analysts at DA Davidson decreased their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of Hershey in a research report issued on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson analyst B. Holland now anticipates that the company will earn $6.88 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $8.02. The consensus estimate for Hershey’s current full-year earnings is $9.06 per share.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $169.79.

Hershey Stock Down 2.0 %

Hershey stock opened at $144.78 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $29.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.68, a P/E/G ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Hershey has a twelve month low of $143.95 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $166.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $181.55.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HSY. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 30,461.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,130,000 after acquiring an additional 571,766 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after acquiring an additional 386,670 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 31.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 586,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,491,000 after acquiring an additional 139,831 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $841,476,000 after acquiring an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.79%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

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.