Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $204.7778.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Bank of America lowered their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Hershey Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $176.36 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.44 billion, a PE ratio of 24.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey has a 52-week low of $161.43 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $179.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.92.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 79.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This 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. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Syon Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co grew its position in Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Hershey by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in Hershey by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.