Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.15 EPS

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Hershey's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. Hershey updated its FY 2025 guidance to 6.000-6.180 EPS.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $4.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $163.10. 2,230,798 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,778,399. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $168.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.00. The company has a market cap of $33.01 billion, a PE ratio of 14.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. Hershey has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $160.45.

Hershey Company Profile

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.

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