Analysts Set Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Price Target at $204.78

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $204.7778.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Barclays lowered their price objective on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $191.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $168.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $33.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.99, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $177.62 and a 200 day moving average of $187.30. Hershey has a 12 month low of $161.43 and a 12 month high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,467,000 after buying an additional 1,589 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 9.9% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 17,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,013,000 after acquiring an additional 1,544 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,128,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $198,032,000 after acquiring an additional 118,825 shares during the last quarter. Andra AP fonden boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 272.2% in the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 91,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,001,000 after purchasing an additional 66,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $268,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company is a global confectionery and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Its portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, salty snacks and pantry products sold under brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s.

Milton S. Hershey founded the company in 1894, and its milk chocolate business helped establish Hershey, Pennsylvania, as a center of American chocolate production. The company has expanded beyond its original chocolate offerings through product development, licensing arrangements and acquisitions in the confectionery and snack categories.

Hershey serves consumers primarily in the United States and Canada and markets its products internationally through retail, e-commerce and other distribution channels.