Jefferies Financial Group Begins Coverage on Hershey (NYSE:HSY)

Equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) in a research note issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a “hold” rating and a $181.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would indicate a potential downside of 0.76% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on HSY. Barclays set a $188.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “mixed” rating and set a $184.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $182.79.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $182.39 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $36.99 billion, a PE ratio of 27.26 and a beta of 0.19. Hershey has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $182.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 32.08%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Research analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.56, for a total value of $269,340.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 55,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,933,079.64. This trade represents a 2.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This represents a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,103,640. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,840,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,126,594,000 after buying an additional 210,131 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,253,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,356,681,000 after acquiring an additional 128,982 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,116,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $849,123,000 after purchasing an additional 125,100 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,567,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $755,305,000 after purchasing an additional 126,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,276,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $543,712,000 after purchasing an additional 144,640 shares during the period. 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.