Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $189.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $187.00 to $189.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

HSY has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho raised their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $193.00 price target on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $176.83.

Hershey Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:HSY opened at $184.08 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $186.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $175.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.45, 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. Hershey has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.78%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 56,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,654,698.88. This trade represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,563,056. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,290 shares of company stock valued at $4,307,220. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kennon Green & Company LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Kennon Green & Company LLC now owns 43,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,379,000 after buying an additional 10,784 shares during the last quarter. William Allan Corp boosted its stake in Hershey by 173.1% in the 1st quarter. William Allan Corp now owns 18,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,180,000 after buying an additional 11,785 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in Hershey by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 31,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,460,000 after buying an additional 2,757 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 18,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,186,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $55,269,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.