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

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $222.2105.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. DA Davidson set a $243.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total transaction of $329,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. This trade represents a 2.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,277,008.52. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,153,645 over the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Syon Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $559,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $225.13 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.63 billion, a PE ratio of 51.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.14. Hershey has a 1-year low of $150.04 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $207.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s payout ratio is 133.87%.

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.