Hershey (HSY) – Investment Analysts’ Recent Ratings Changes

Hershey (NYSE: HSY) has recently received a number of price target changes and ratings updates:

• 5/5/2025 – Hershey had its price target raised by analysts at DA Davidson from $162.00 to $163.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 5/5/2025 – Hershey had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from $160.00 to $165.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 5/2/2025 – Hershey had its price target lowered by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $178.00 to $175.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock.
• 5/2/2025 – Hershey had its price target lowered by analysts at UBS Group AG from $175.00 to $170.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 5/2/2025 – Hershey had its price target raised by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from $147.00 to $155.00. They now have a “market perform” rating on the stock.
• 4/17/2025 – Hershey had its price target raised by analysts at UBS Group AG from $159.00 to $175.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 4/17/2025 – Hershey had its price target lowered by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $177.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 4/15/2025 – Hershey had its price target lowered by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $173.00 to $165.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 3/24/2025 – Hershey is now covered by analysts at Morgan Stanley. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $183.00 price target on the stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $163.78 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $209.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $166.78 and a 200-day moving average of $167.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (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 previous year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.