What is DA Davidson's Forecast for Hershey FY2025 Earnings?

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) - DA Davidson dropped their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Hershey in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson analyst B. Holland now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $6.02 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $6.88. DA Davidson has a "Neutral" rating and a $149.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hershey's current full-year earnings is $6.77 per share.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY traded down $2.82 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $157.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,449,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,139,031. The firm has a market cap of $31.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $162.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Hershey has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 24.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,886,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 59.5% during the 3rd quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,015 shares of the company's stock valued at $770,000 after acquiring an additional 1,498 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 130.1% during the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,707 shares of the company's stock valued at $327,000 after acquiring an additional 965 shares during the period. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in Hershey by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 7,442 shares of the company's stock worth $1,427,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the period. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 52.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,550 shares of the company's stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

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.