The stock of Hershey Company (HSY) has seen a 12.64% increase in the past week, with a 18.65% gain in the past month, and a 4.46% flourish in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 4.06%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 2.89% for HSY. The simple moving average for the last 20 days is 13.53% for HSY stock, with a simple moving average of -2.94% for the last 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 16.32x compared to its average ratio, The 36-month beta value for HSY is at 0.32. Analysts have varying views on the stock, with 3 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 1 rating it as “overweight,” 17 as “hold,” and 4 as “sell.”
The public float for HSY is 147.29M, and currently, shorts hold a 4.66% of that float. The average trading volume for HSY on February 25, 2025 was 2.35M shares.
HSY) stock’s latest price update
Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY)’s stock price has increased by 2.88 compared to its previous closing price of 172.86. However, the company has seen a 12.64% increase in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. marketbeat.com reported 2025-02-20 that The consumer staples sector giant saw shares rip higher after announcing its fourth quarter of 2024 earnings report, which firmly beat both top and bottom-line consensus analyst estimates.
Analysts’ Opinion of HSY
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for HSY stocks, with Citigroup repeating the rating for HSY by listing it as a “Neutral.” The predicted price for HSY in the upcoming period, according to Citigroup is $154 based on the research report published on February 07, 2025 of the current year 2025.
Piper Sandler, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see HSY reach a price target of $120, previously predicting the price at $153. The rating they have provided for HSY stocks is “Underweight” according to the report published on January 31st, 2025.
Deutsche Bank gave a rating of “Hold” to HSY, setting the target price at $148 in the report published on January 23rd of the current year.
HSY Trading at 9.53% 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 -16.08% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 2.89%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 4.06%, as shares surge +18.00% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -8.16% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, HSY rose by +12.64%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -9.49% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $156.65. In addition, Hershey Company saw 5.01% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further gains.
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:
- 0.25 for the present operating margin
- 0.46 for the gross margin
The net margin for Hershey Company stands at 0.2. The total capital return value is set at 0.31. Equity return is now at value 50.40, with 17.88 for asset returns.
Based on Hershey Company (HSY), the company’s capital structure generated 0.54 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.46. The debt to equity ratio resting at 1.16. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 16.23.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 3.1 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 1.48. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 3.63. The receivables turnover for the company is 14.0for 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 0.96.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Hershey Company (HSY) has had a better performance lately. Opinion on the stock among analysts is bearish, with some giving it a “sell” rating and others a “hold”. It is worth mentioning that the stock is currently trading in close proximity to its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
