Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Upgraded at Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report report published on Monday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $182.00 price target on the stock, up from their prior price target of $157.00.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. BNP Paribas Exane raised Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Barclays set a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $187.32.

Hershey Stock Up 0.4%

HSY stock opened at $180.03 on Monday. Hershey has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $199.00. The firm has a market cap of $36.51 billion, a PE ratio of 26.91 and a beta of 0.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $180.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 81.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.51, for a total value of $282,765.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,145,419.69. This trade represents a 2.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,102,725 in the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.