Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $185.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective reduced by Stifel Nicolaus from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research note published on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on HSY. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Barclays upped their price target on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. DA Davidson upped their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.32.

Hershey Stock Performance

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

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend 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 Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 56,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,654,698.88. This represents a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.