Brokerages Set Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Price Target at $204.78

Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-two analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $204.7778.

Several research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Barclays decreased their price objective on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Bank of America reduced their target price on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $191.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 123.0% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of HSY stock opened at $167.60 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $177.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.16. Hershey has a 12-month low of $161.43 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $33.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 79.37%.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company is a global confectionery and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Its portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, salty snacks and pantry products sold under brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s.

Milton S. Hershey founded the company in 1894, and its milk chocolate business helped establish Hershey, Pennsylvania, as a center of American chocolate production. The company has expanded beyond its original chocolate offerings through product development, licensing arrangements and acquisitions in the confectionery and snack categories.

Hershey serves consumers primarily in the United States and Canada and markets its products internationally through retail, e-commerce and other distribution channels.