Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY) – Research analysts at Piper Sandler decreased their Q1 2020 earnings estimates for Hershey in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 15th. Piper Sandler analyst M. Lavery now forecasts that the company will earn $1.71 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.72. Piper Sandler also issued estimates for Hershey’s Q2 2020 earnings at $1.36 EPS, Q1 2021 earnings at $1.76 EPS, Q2 2021 earnings at $1.42 EPS, Q3 2021 earnings at $1.77 EPS, Q4 2021 earnings at $1.39 EPS and FY2021 earnings at $6.35 EPS.
A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $154.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 27th. UBS Group set a $147.00 target price on shares of Hershey and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $158.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $146.27.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.01. Hershey had a net margin of 16.18% and a return on equity of 77.39%. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.55 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year.
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Country Trust Bank bought a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Adirondack Trust Co. bought a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Eii Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Evoke Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 53.38% of the company’s stock.
In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 3,832 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $574,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 149,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,414,350. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Hershey Trust Co Trustee In Tr sold 6,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.06, for a total transaction of $986,408.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 47,170 shares in the company, valued at $6,842,480.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 48,398 shares of company stock worth $7,145,227 in the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
About Hershey
The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells confectionery products. The company operates through two segments, North America; and International and Other. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products comprising mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items, including spreads, meat snacks, bars and snack bites, mixes, popcorn and protein bars, and cookies.
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