DA Davidson Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $149.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target reduced by DA Davidson from $164.00 to $149.00 in a research note released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Hershey’s Q1 2025 earnings at $1.98 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $6.02 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.45 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $158.13 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $163.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.86. Hershey has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $32.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, research analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,000 after acquiring an additional 1,115 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $221,000. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $208,000. OV Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. OV Management LLC now owns 8,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.