DA Davidson Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) – Stock analysts at DA Davidson lowered their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Hershey in a research note issued to investors on Monday, November 11th. DA Davidson analyst B. Holland now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $8.02 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $9.11. The consensus estimate for Hershey’s current full-year earnings is $9.06 per share.

HSY has been the topic of several other research reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $189.33.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $184.45 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $188.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.38. Hershey has a 1 year low of $171.67 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 31.0% in the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,594,000 after acquiring an additional 1,966 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $543,000. Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 37,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,144,000 after buying an additional 2,913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 91.8% in the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,000 after buying an additional 459 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

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.