Zacks Research Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Hershey in a research report issued on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.11 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.01. The consensus estimate for Hershey's current full-year earnings is $6.12 per share.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $162.15.

Hershey Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $4.98 during trading on Monday, hitting $160.88. 1,703,267 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,786,416. The firm has a market cap of $32.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Hershey has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $164.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $166.62.

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

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

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.