Royal Bank Of Canada Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $206.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective cut by Royal Bank Of Canada from $212.00 to $206.00 in a research note released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a sector perform rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on HSY. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings raised Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.78.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $186.27 on Friday. Hershey has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The company has a market cap of $37.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.45, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $178.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $195.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The business’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.21 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 79.37%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HSY. Syon Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co raised its stake in Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.