Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.29 EPS

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29, Zacks reports. Hershey had a return on equity of 43.24% and a net margin of 16.17%. Hershey updated its FY 2025 guidance to 6.000-6.180 EPS.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded up $6.51 during trading on Thursday, hitting $152.43. The stock had a trading volume of 4,117,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,050,884. Hershey has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $30.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $165.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.10.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% 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.