Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Hershey has a consensus “Hold” rating from 22 brokerages: 16 analysts recommend holding the stock, while six recommend buying it. The average 12-month price target is $204.78, above the reported $169.95 share price.
• Hershey’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.90 versus the $1.43 consensus and revenue of $2.79 billion, up 6.6% year over year. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.36–$8.52.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $1.452, equivalent to $5.81 annually and a 3.4% yield. Institutional investors and hedge funds own approximately 57.96% of Hershey’s outstanding shares.

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $204.7778.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hershey from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $201.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $169.95 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $177.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.96. Hershey has a 52-week low of $161.43 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $34.15 billion, a PE ratio of 23.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Analysts predict that Hershey will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,303,889,000. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Hershey by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 9,106,431 shares of the company's stock worth $1,657,189,000 after acquiring an additional 169,660 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,831,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $876,434,000 after acquiring an additional 104,024 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $485,436,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $274,871,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

About Hershey

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.

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