Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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 Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $154.98 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.78. The firm has a market cap of $31.36 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. Hershey has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. 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 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 paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Citigroup raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.35.

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.