Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of Hershey Q1 Earnings

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Hershey in a research note issued on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will earn $2.11 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.01. The consensus estimate for Hershey’s current full-year earnings is $6.12 per share.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Bernstein Bank dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $161.40.

Hershey Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $155.51 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. Hershey has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $166.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.