Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Upgraded by BNP Paribas Exane to Outperform Rating

BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note published on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on HSY. Wall Street Zen raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Barclays upped their price target on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $171.22.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $185.53 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $37.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.27. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $171.79. Hershey has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total transaction of $3,742,260.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $37,563,056. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $227,500.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Choreo LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.9% in the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 1,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.4% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 12.3% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ignite Planners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.2% in the first quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.