DA Davidson Issues Pessimistic Outlook for Hershey Earnings

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) – Analysts at DA Davidson dropped their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Hershey in a report issued on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson analyst B. Holland now forecasts 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 target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hershey’s current full-year earnings is $6.77 per share.

HSY has been the topic of a number of other research reports. 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 report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Bernstein Bank lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.05.

Hershey Stock Up 2.5 %

HSY stock opened at $158.34 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $180.11. Hershey has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.04 billion, a PE ratio of 14.53, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

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

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.