DA Davidson Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at DA Davidson from $188.00 to $185.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. DA Davidson’s target price suggests a potential upside of 9.58% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $179.05.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $1.78 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $168.83. The company had a trading volume of 1,913,835 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,762,031. Hershey has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $184.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market cap of $34.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were 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 directly owned 56,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,654,698.88. The trade was a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new position in Hershey during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.