DA Davidson Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $185.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target decreased by DA Davidson from $188.00 to $185.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. DA Davidson currently has a neutral rating on the stock. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Hershey’s Q4 2025 earnings at $1.36 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.96 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.50 EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on HSY. Barclays set a $188.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Piper Sandler raised Hershey from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $167.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated a “mixed” rating and set a $184.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $179.05.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $178.39 on Monday. 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 fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $184.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $176.19. The company has a market capitalization of $36.17 billion, a PE ratio of 23.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.24. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.91%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total value of $281,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 56,819 shares in the company, valued at $10,654,698.88. This trade represents a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

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

About Hershey

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.