Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

by · The Markets Daily

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $184.00 to $195.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price indicates a potential upside of 7.95% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.79.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Hershey

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Thursday, reaching $180.65. The company had a trading volume of 221,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,754,774. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.97 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. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $182.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.09. Hershey has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, insider Stacy Taffet bought 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,876,115.60. This represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,103,640. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,840,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,126,594,000 after acquiring an additional 210,131 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Hershey by 1.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,253,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,356,681,000 after purchasing an additional 128,982 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 2.5% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,116,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $849,123,000 after purchasing an additional 125,100 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 2.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,567,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $755,305,000 after buying an additional 126,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Hershey by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,276,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $543,712,000 after buying an additional 144,640 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Company Profile

(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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