Hershey (HSY) Expected to Announce Earnings on Thursday

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) is anticipated to release its Q1 2025 earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, May 1st. Analysts expect Hershey to post earnings of $1.96 per share and revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.000-6.180 EPS.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, analysts expect Hershey to post $6 EPS for the current fiscal year and $7 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Hershey Stock Up 0.0 %

HSY opened at $163.30 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.32. Hershey has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $33.05 billion, a PE ratio of 14.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Bernstein Bank dropped their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.35.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.34% 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.