Brokerages Set Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Price Target at $222.21

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $222.2105.

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total value of $329,490.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 50,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,153,645. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Syon Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co increased its holdings in Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Hershey by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $559,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $222.86 on Tuesday. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $150.04 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $207.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.42. The company has a market cap of $45.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.35, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.14.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 133.87%.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.