Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Issues FY 2025 Earnings Guidance

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) updated its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 6.000-6.180 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 7.360. The company issued revenue guidance of $11.4 billion-$11.4 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $11.4 billion.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their price target on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.35.

Hershey Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE HSY traded up $2.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $154.82. The company had a trading volume of 1,657,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,064,350. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $164.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.78. Hershey has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $31.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.83, a PEG ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 43.24% and a net margin of 16.17%. As a group, research analysts expect that Hershey will post 9.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 63.13%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.