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

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on HSY. UBS Group dropped their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Bank of America upped their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Hershey from $180.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eighteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $186.26.

Hershey Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:HSY opened at $180.06 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $181.62. Hershey has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $199.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $36.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.91 and a beta of 0.18.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,145,419.69. The trade was a 2.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,102,725. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Farmers National Bank purchased a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $235,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 35,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,662,000 after buying an additional 689 shares during the period. Investment Research Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $515,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $241,000. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $10,235,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.