Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $235.14 and last traded at $233.8860, with a volume of 344780 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $231.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays raised their target price on Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.21.

Hershey Stock Up 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $201.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.72.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 133.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total transaction of $329,490.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 50,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,153,645 over the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,067,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,469,855,000 after acquiring an additional 191,671 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 9,106,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,657,189,000 after purchasing an additional 169,660 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,253,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,356,681,000 after purchasing an additional 128,982 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,315,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $967,343,000 after buying an additional 124,464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,831,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $876,434,000 after buying an additional 104,024 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.