Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Reaches New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday after Evercore ISI raised their price target on the stock from $215.00 to $250.00. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the stock. Hershey traded as high as $234.87 and last traded at $232.90, with a volume of 522380 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $231.53.

A number of other research firms have also commented on HSY. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 target price on Hershey and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at $8,876,115.60. The trade was a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total value of $298,005.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,319 shares in the company, valued at $10,394,215.73. The trade was a 2.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450 over the last three months. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $46.43 billion, a PE ratio of 52.75, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.18. The business’s 50-day moving average is $191.51 and its 200 day moving average is $186.57.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 133.64%.

About Hershey

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.