What is DA Davidson’s Estimate for Hershey FY2025 Earnings?

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) – Equities research analysts at DA Davidson reduced their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Hershey in a research report issued on Monday, November 11th. DA Davidson analyst B. Holland now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $8.02 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $9.11. The consensus estimate for Hershey’s current full-year earnings is $9.06 per share.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on HSY. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Argus lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $189.33.

Hershey Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $184.45 on Wednesday. Hershey has a twelve month low of $171.67 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $37.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $188.56 and a 200 day moving average of $192.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,372,965,000 after buying an additional 2,158,912 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 30,461.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,130,000 after purchasing an additional 571,766 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 297.9% in the 2nd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,959,000 after purchasing an additional 537,419 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $82,123,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% 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.