Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29, Zacks reports. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Hershey updated its FY 2025 guidance to 6.000-6.180 EPS.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $154.98 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.22, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $164.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $180.78. Hershey has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays reduced their target price on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Piper Sandler cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bernstein Bank dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, 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 is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.