DA Davidson Brokers Decrease Earnings Estimates for Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) - Research analysts at DA Davidson lowered their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Hershey in a note issued to investors on Monday, November 11th. DA Davidson analyst B. Holland now expects that the company will earn $8.02 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $9.11. The consensus estimate for Hershey's current full-year earnings is $9.06 per share.

Several other research firms have also commented on HSY. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. UBS Group lowered Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hershey in a research note on Monday, August 12th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $189.33.

Hershey Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of HSY stock traded up $2.95 on Wednesday, hitting $184.45. The stock had a trading volume of 2,177,434 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,695,203. Hershey has a one year low of $171.67 and a one year high of $211.92. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $188.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.10. The company has a market cap of $37.31 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 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 Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 10.0% during the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 320,680 shares of the company's stock worth $58,951,000 after acquiring an additional 29,246 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 179.4% during the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 6,958 shares of the company's stock worth $1,353,000 after purchasing an additional 4,468 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 54,540 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,608,000 after purchasing an additional 1,168 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA now owns 15,716 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,986,000 after purchasing an additional 2,635 shares during the period. Finally, JLB & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 53.5% during the third quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. now owns 64,731 shares of the company's stock worth $12,414,000 after buying an additional 22,562 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.