Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Given Hold Rating at Jefferies Financial Group

by · The Cerbat Gem

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reissued by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $181.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 0.14% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of 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 research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays set a $188.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “mixed” rating and set a $184.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $182.21.

View Our Latest Research Report on Hershey

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $180.74 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $182.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.02 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Hershey has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. Hershey had a return on equity of 32.08% and a net margin of 11.84%.The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Analysts forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,786.49. The trade was a 2.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This represents a 4.36% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,103,640 over the last quarter. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter valued at $234,386,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 240.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,262,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,183,000 after acquiring an additional 891,287 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $125,868,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 121.2% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,104,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,559,000 after acquiring an additional 605,048 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,858,000 after purchasing an additional 557,056 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hershey

(Get Free Report)

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.

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