Hershey (HSY) Expected to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) will likely be releasing its Q4 2024 earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, February 6th. Analysts expect Hershey to post earnings of $2.40 per share and revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.000-6.180 EPS.Parties that are interested in registering for the company's conference call can do so using this link.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 43.24% and a net margin of 16.17%. On average, analysts expect Hershey to post $9 EPS for the current fiscal year and $8 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Hershey Stock Up 1.7 %

Hershey stock traded up $2.64 during trading on Friday, hitting $154.98. 2,394,691 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,099,844. The company has a market capitalization of $31.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.85, a PEG ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. The business's 50 day moving average is $164.81 and its 200 day moving average is $180.78. Hershey has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. Hershey's payout ratio is 63.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Citigroup raised Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday. Mizuho dropped their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $166.35.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.