TD Cowen Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $200.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective cut by TD Cowen from $204.00 to $200.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their price target on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued a “mixed” rating and set a $184.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.32.

Hershey Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $169.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53. Hershey has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.56, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $176.05.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.34 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.91%.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total value of $281,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 56,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,654,698.88. This represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.