Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Brokerages give Hershey a consensus "Hold" rating (17 Hold, 6 Buy) from 23 analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $224.94.
• Hershey beat Q results (EPS $1.71 vs. $1.40 est., revenue $3.09B vs. $2.97B) and set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.52 EPS, roughly in line with the analyst consensus of $8.37.
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers recently (10,000 shares sold in the last 90 days, including sales by the CFO), while the company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.452 (annualized $5.81, yield ~3.1%) despite a high payout ratio (~134%).

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $224.9444.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $230.00 to $211.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Hershey from $236.00 to $215.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. DA Davidson set a $243.00 price objective on Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE HSY opened at $188.83 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $38.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $215.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $196.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 133.64%.

About Hershey

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.

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