The stock of Hershey Company (HSY) has gone down by -3.33% for the week, with a -14.25% drop in the past month and a -18.49% drop in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.05%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are 2.38% for HSY. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -5.88% for HSY’s stock, with a -21.83% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Is It Worth Investing in Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) Right Now?
Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) has a higher price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67x compared to its average ratio. HSY has 36-month beta value of 0.34. Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with 3 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 1 as “overweight,” 16 as “hold,” and 4 as “sell.”
The public float for HSY is 147.25M, and currently, short sellers hold a 4.60% ratio of that float. The average trading volume of HSY on February 05, 2025 was 2.32M shares.
HSY) stock’s latest price update
The stock of Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) has decreased by -2.06 when compared to last closing price of 147.79. Despite this, the company has experienced a -3.33% fall in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. seekingalpha.com reported 2025-02-04 that Hershey’s stock continues to decline, recently dropping below $170, with some predicting a new bottom around $117, reminiscent of the COVID-bottom. We try to understand the larger picture and assess whether Hershey presents an opportunity or a dangerous falling knife. Despite concerns about its future prospects, the past tells us that every cocoa crisis has been overcome, leading to strong rebounds in chocolate demand.
Analysts’ Opinion of HSY
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for HSY stocks, with Piper Sandler repeating the rating for HSY by listing it as a “Underweight.” The predicted price for HSY in the upcoming period, according to Piper Sandler is $120 based on the research report published on January 31, 2025 of the current year 2025.
Deutsche Bank, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see HSY reach a price target of $148, previously predicting the price at $184. The rating they have provided for HSY stocks is “Hold” according to the report published on January 23rd, 2025.
Mizuho gave a rating of “Neutral” to HSY, setting the target price at $170 in the report published on December 23rd of the previous year.
HSY Trading at -13.15% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought HSY to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -31.70% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 2.38%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.05%, as shares sank -14.37% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -14.98% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, HSY fell by -3.33%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -20.67% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $153.79. In addition, Hershey Company saw -14.53% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at HSY starting from McCalman Jennifer, who sale 278 shares at the price of $148.00 back on Feb 03 ’25. After this action, McCalman Jennifer now owns 2,682 shares of Hershey Company, valued at $41,144 using the latest closing price.
McCalman Jennifer, the Officer of Hershey Company, proposed sale 278 shares at $148.00 during a trade that took place back on Feb 03 ’25, which means that McCalman Jennifer is holding shares at $41,144 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for HSY
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.22 for the present operating margin
- 0.43 for the gross margin
The net margin for Hershey Company stands at 0.16. The total capital return value is set at 0.28. Equity return is now at value 43.41, with 14.45 for asset returns.
Based on Hershey Company (HSY), the company’s capital structure generated 0.57 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.42. The debt to equity ratio resting at 1.34. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 14.11.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 2.75 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 1.76. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 3.13. The receivables turnover for the company is 9.6for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.87. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.85.
Conclusion
To put it simply, Hershey Company (HSY) has had a bad performance in recent times. Analysts have a bearish opinion on the stock, with some rating it as a “sell” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
