Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Reaches New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $200.23 and last traded at $199.3280, with a volume of 1173502 shares. The stock had previously closed at $195.29.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Barclays set a $188.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $188.37.

Hershey Stock Performance

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’s fifty day moving average is $182.63 and its 200 day moving average is $182.34. The company has a market cap of $40.39 billion, a PE ratio of 29.77 and a beta of 0.18.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 81.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Stacy Taffet bought 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. The trade was a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,102,725 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during the 3rd 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. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in Hershey during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.