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

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) – Research analysts at DA Davidson cut their FY2025 earnings estimates for Hershey in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson analyst B. Holland now anticipates that the company will earn $6.02 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $6.88. DA Davidson currently has a “Neutral” rating and a $149.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hershey’s current full-year earnings is $6.77 per share.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%.

HSY has been the topic of a number of other reports. Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.05.

Hershey Stock Up 2.5 %

HSY opened at $158.34 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Hershey has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $163.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $180.11. The stock has a market cap of $32.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 23.3% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in Hershey by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 4,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $792,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.