Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Hits New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Hershey shares fell to a new 52-week low of $161.04, below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Analysts’ average rating is “Hold,” with a consensus price target of $204.78 after Bank of America and Piper Sandler cut their targets to $200.
• The company reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.90 versus $1.43 expected and revenue of $2.79 billion, up 6.6% year over year. Hershey issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.36–$8.52.
• Hershey maintains a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, equivalent to an annualized $5.81 dividend and a 3.6% yield; institutional investors own nearly 58% of the stock.

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday. The stock traded as low as $161.04 and last traded at $161.2390, with a volume of 482343 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.41.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hershey from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $204.78.

Hershey Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $177.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $186.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $32.30 billion, a PE ratio of 21.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a dividend of $1.4520 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.37%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 23.5% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,361 shares of the company's stock worth $1,467,000 after buying an additional 1,589 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 17,171 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,013,000 after acquiring an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,128,711 shares of the company's stock worth $198,032,000 after acquiring an additional 118,825 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden lifted its position in Hershey by 272.2% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 91,199 shares of the company's stock worth $16,001,000 after acquiring an additional 66,699 shares during the period. Finally, Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $268,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company NYSE: HSY is a global confectionery and snack food company headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate manufacturer and has grown into one of the largest producers of confectionery products in North America.

Hershey's portfolio includes chocolate, candy, gum, mints, protein bars and salty snacks. Its well-known brands include Hershey's, Reese's, Kisses, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot's.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.