As of Wednesday close, The Hershey Company’s (NYSE:HSY) stock was down -$1.22, moving down -0.55 percent to $219.49. The average number of shares traded per day over the past five days has been 1,072,740 shares. 1 time new highs have been achieved over the past 5 days, with a -$6.16 fall in that time frame. In the last twenty days, the average volume was 1,284,610, while in the previous 50 days, it was 1,233,208.
Since last month, HSY stock retreated -8.48%. Shares of the company fell to $219.03 on 08/16/23, the lowest level in the past month. A 52-week high of $276.88 was reached on 05/01/23 after having rallying from a 52-week low of $211.49. Since the beginning of this year, HSY’s stock price has dropped by -5.22% or -$12.08, and marked a new high 22 times. However, the stock has declined by -20.73% since its 52-week high.
HSY stock investors should be aware that The Hershey Company (HSY) stock had its last reported insider trading activity 34 days ago on Jul 14. Buck Michele, the Chairman, President and CEO of the company, disposed of 14,251 shares for $238.73 on Jul 14. It resulted in a $3,402,195 divestment by the insider. Arway Pamela M sold 187 shares at an average price of $241.66 on Jul 11. The insider now owns 15,529 shares following the transaction. On Jun 27, 10% Owner HERSHEY TRUST CO TRUSTEE IN TR sold 10,292 shares at $260.43 apiece. The transaction was valued at $2,680,317.
Valuation Metrics
Right now, The Hershey Company (HSY) has a P/E ratio of about 26.54. The stock’s beta is 0.29. Besides these, the trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 4.14, the price-to-book (PB) ratio of 12.16, and the price-to-cash flow ratio of 27.15 may also be considered.
The latest dividend of $1.1920 per share was paid out, which is 15.06% more than last year’s $1.0360.
Financial Health
In the three months ended June 29, The Hershey Company’s quick ratio stood at 0.50, while its current ratio was 1.10, showing that the company is not able to pay off its debt. According to company report, the long-term debt-to-equity ratio for the quarter ending June 29 was 1.11, and the total debt-to-equity ratio was 1.34. On the profitability front, the trailing twelve-month gross margin is 43.90% percent. In the year ended June 29, EBITDA margin amounted to 24.56%, whereas operating margins totaled 20.30%. Based on annual data, HSY earned $4.5 billion in gross profit and brought in $10.42 billion in revenue.
A company’s management is another factor that investors consider when determining the profitability of an investment. In the past year, return on investment (ROI) was 22.30%. Return on equity (ROE) for the past 12 months was 52.90%.
In The Hershey Company’s quarter-end financial report for June 29, it reported total debt of $4.09 billion. According to the earnings report, the company had a lower net income in the recent quarter than it did in the previous quarter. HSY’s revenue rose 4.73% to $2.99 billion during the quarter, while net income inched up to $2.49 billion. While analysts expected The Hershey Company to report $1.91 quarterly earnings, the actual figure was $2.01 per share, beating the consensus estimate by 5.20%. During the quarter, the company generated $662.25 million in EBITDA. The liabilities of The Hershey Company were 7.83 billion at the end of its most recent quarter ended June 29, and its total debt was $5.28 billion. The value of shareholders’ equity is $204.47 million.
Technical Picture
This quick technical analysis looks at The Hershey Company’s (HSY) price momentum. With a historical volatility rate of 13.11%, the RSI 9-day stood at 21.41% on 16 August.
With respect to its five-day moving average, the current The Hershey Company price is down by -2.73% percent or -$6.16. At present, HSY shares trade -9.55% below its 20-day simple moving average and -10.04% percent below its 100-day simple moving average. However, the stock is currently trading approximately -15.41% below its SMA50 and -6.37% below its SMA200.
Stochastic coefficient K was 3.66% and Stochastic coefficient D was 3.67%, while ATR was 3.62. Given the Stochastic reading of 2.48% for the 14-day period, the RSI (14) reading has been calculated as 24.26%. As of today, the MACD Oscillator reading stands at -2.81, while the 14-day reading stands at -5.68.
Analyst Ratings
Argus reiterated its a Buy rating on The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) in a note to investors. The analysts firm has however raised their price target to $270, representing a possible 30.32% increase in the stock price. The Hershey Company (HSY) has been rated Overweight by analysts. According to 0 brokerage firms, HSY is a sell, and 13 firms recommend it is a Hold. There are 1 analyst who say the stock is underweight. A total of 0 analysts rate The Hershey Company stock as buy, with 7 recommending it as overweight.
With a median target price of $262.00, the current consensus forecast for the stock is $233.00 – $300.00. Based on these forecasts, analysts predict The Hershey Company (HSY) will achieve an average price target of $262.61.
