How to buy Hershey stock (HSY)

Hershey (HSY) is a leading confectioners business based in the US. It opened the day at $169.21 after a previous close of $168.94. During the day the price has varied from a low of $168.59 to a high of $172.04. The latest price was $170.26 (25 minute delay). Hershey is listed on the NYSE and employs 18,650 staff. All prices are listed in US Dollars.

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Hershey stock price (NYSE: HSY)

Use our graph to track the performance of HSY stocks over time.

Hershey shares at a glance

• Live prices
• Key figures

Information last updated 2024-12-21.

Open	$0.00
High	$0.00
Low	$0.00
Close	$0.00
Previous close	$0.00
Change more info button	$0.00
Change % more info button	N/A%
Volume more info button	0

Information last updated 2024-12-19.

52-week range	$168.16 - $208.03
50-day moving average more info button	$179.81
200-day moving average more info button	$190.45
Wall St. target price	$184.53
PE ratio more info button	19.8458
Dividend yield more info button	$5.302 (3.18%)
Earnings per share (TTM) more info button	$8.69

Is it a good time to buy Hershey stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

This chart is not advice or a guarantee of success. Rather, it gauges the real-time recommendations of three popular technical indicators: moving averages, oscillators and pivots. Finder is not responsible for how your stock performs.

Hershey price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the close of $170.26 from 2024-12-19

1 week (2024-12-13)	-7.01%
1 month (2024-11-22)	-2.60%
3 months (2024-09-20)	-12.88%
6 months (2024-06-21)	-6.50%

1 year (2023-12-21)	-5.93%
2 years (2022-12-21)	-23.93%
3 years (2021-12-21)	175.2534
5 years (2019-12-20)	28.68%

Is Hershey stock undervalued or overvalued?

Valuing Hershey stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Hershey's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

Hershey's P/E ratio

Hershey's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 20x. In other words, Hershey shares trade at around 20x recent earnings.

That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.

Hershey's PEG ratio

Hershey's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 4.7978. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Hershey's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

Hershey's EBITDA

Hershey's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is $3 billion.

The EBITDA is a measure of a Hershey's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

Hershey financials

Revenue TTM	$11 billion
Operating margin TTM	22.03%
Gross profit TTM	$4.5 billion
Return on assets TTM	12.75%
Return on equity TTM	43.41%
Profit margin	16.17%
Book value	$20.78
Market Capitalization more info button	$34.9 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Hershey's environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Hershey.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

Hershey's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 27.77

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Hershey's overall score of 27.77 (as at 12/31/2018) is nothing to write home about – landing it in it in the 45th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Hershey is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

Hershey's environmental score

Environmental score: 12.73/100

Hershey's environmental score of 12.73 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Hershey is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Hershey's social score

Social score: 14.75/100

Hershey's social score of 14.75 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Hershey is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

Hershey's governance score

Governance score: 7.29/100

Hershey's governance score puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Hershey is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Hershey's controversy score

Controversy score: 3/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Hershey scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that Hershey hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

Hershey Co was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.

Total ESG score	27.77
Total ESG percentile	44.76
Environmental score	12.73
Environmental score percentile	6
Social score	14.75
Social score percentile	6
Governance score	7.29
Governance score percentile	6
Level of controversy	3

Hershey share dividends

Dividend payout ratio: 62.99% of net profits

Recently Hershey has paid out, on average, around 100% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 0% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Hershey shareholders could enjoy a 0% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Hershey's case, that would currently equate to about $5.302 per share.

Hershey's payout ratio would broadly be considered high, and as such this stock could appeal to those looking to generate an income. Bear in mind however that companies should normally also look to re-invest a decent amount of net profits to ensure future growth.

Hershey's most recent dividend payout was on 15 December 2024. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 17 November 2024 (the "ex-dividend date").

Have Hershey's shares ever split?

Hershey's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 15 June 2004 . So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Hershey shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Hershey shares which in turn could have impacted Hershey's share price.

Hershey share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Hershey's shares have ranged in value from as little as $168.16 up to $208.03. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while Hershey's is 0.374. This would suggest that Hershey's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).

Hershey overview

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels. The company provides its products primarily under the Hershey's, Reese's, Kisses, Jolly Rancher, Almond Joy, Brookside, barkTHINS, Cadbury, Good & Plenty, Heath, Kit Kat, Payday, Rolo, Twizzlers, Whoppers, York, Ice Breakers, Breath Savers, Bubble Yum, Lily's, SkinnyPop, Pirates Booty, Dot's Homestyle Pretzels, and ONE Bar brands, as well as under the Pelon Pelo Rico, IO-IO, and Sofit brands. It markets and sells its products to wholesale distributors, chain grocery stores, mass merchandisers, chain drug stores, vending companies, wholesale clubs, convenience stores, dollar stores, concessionaires, and department stores. The company exports its products in approximately 80 countries worldwide. The Hershey Company was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Frequently asked questions

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What percentage of Hershey is owned by insiders or institutions?
Currently 0.247% of Hershey shares are held by insiders and 87.842% by institutions. How many people work for Hershey?
Latest data suggests 18,650 work at Hershey. When does the fiscal year end for Hershey?
Hershey's fiscal year ends in December. Where is Hershey based?
Hershey's address is: 19 East Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, PA, United States, 17033 What is Hershey's ISIN number?
Hershey's international securities identification number is: US4278661081 What is Hershey's CUSIP number?
Hershey's Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number is: 427866108