Hershey (HSY) Scheduled to Post Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) will issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, November 7th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $2.73 per share for the quarter. Individual interested in participating in the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. Hershey’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. On average, analysts expect Hershey to post $9 EPS for the current fiscal year and $9 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $177.48 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $191.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $192.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $35.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.37. Hershey has a 52-week low of $176.78 and a 52-week high of $211.92.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America lowered their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $163.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Five 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $191.11.

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.