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

Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-three analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $222.6842.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $238.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th.

Hershey Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $213.43 on Friday. Hershey has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $239.48. 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 capitalization of $43.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $215.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $195.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The business’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 133.87%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,195,945. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. 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.