Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Issues FY 2025 Earnings Guidance

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) issued an update on its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 6.000-6.180 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 7.360. The company issued revenue guidance of $11.4 billion-$11.4 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $11.4 billion.

Hershey Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of HSY traded up $2.64 on Friday, hitting $154.98. 2,394,691 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,139,031. 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 market capitalization of $31.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $164.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.52. Hershey has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently 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.