Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $163.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) had its price target boosted by DA Davidson from $162.00 to $163.00 in a research note released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. DA Davidson currently has a neutral rating on the stock. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Hershey's Q2 2025 earnings at $0.99 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $6.05 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.49 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Bernstein Bank lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $161.40.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY traded up $0.88 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $171.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,228,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,769,666. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $168.48. Hershey has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $34.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The business's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.