Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wells Fargo & Company

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

Several other research analysts have also commented on HSY. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Barclays set a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Hershey from $180.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI restated a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eighteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $186.26.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $180.06 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $199.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $180.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.62.

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

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.51, for a total transaction of $282,765.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,145,419.69. This represents a 2.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,102,725. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 46.3% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. 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.