Hershey
About: Hershey is a leading US confectionery manufacturer (around a $54 billion market, according to Euromonitor), controlling around 36% of the domestic chocolate space. Beyond its namesake label, the firm's mix has expanded over the last 85 years and now consists of 100 brands, including Reese's, Kit Kat, Kisses, and Ice Breakers. Hershey's products are sold in about 80 countries, albeit with just a high-single-digit percentage of sales coming from markets outside the US, including Brazil, India, and Mexico. The firm has sought inorganic opportunities to extend its reach beyond its core confection business, adding Amplify Snack Brands and its Skinny Pop ready-to-eat popcorn to its mix, Pirate Brands, and Dot's Pretzels over the past few years.
Employees: 20,030
Fund manager confidence
Based on 2024 Q4 regulatory disclosures by fund managers ($100M+ AUM)
113% more call options, than puts
Call options by funds: $1.3B | Put options by funds: $610M
0.32% less ownership
Funds ownership: 82.2% [Q3] → 81.88% (-0.32%) [Q4]
4% less funds holding
Funds holding: 1,372 [Q3] → 1,318 (-54) [Q4]
8% less capital invested
Capital invested by funds: $23.4B [Q3] → $21.4B (-$1.98B) [Q4]
13% less first-time investments, than exits
New positions opened: 180 | Existing positions closed: 208
18% less repeat investments, than reductions
Existing positions increased: 428 | Existing positions reduced: 519
33% less funds holding in top 10
Funds holding in top 10: 9 [Q3] → 6 (-3) [Q4]
Research analyst outlook
11 Wall Street Analysts provided 1 year price targets over the past 3 months
11 analyst ratings
UBS Peter Grom 50% 1-year accuracy 13 / 26 met price target | 5%upside $175 | Neutral Maintained | 17 Apr 2025 |
Morgan Stanley Megan Alexander 44% 1-year accuracy 7 / 16 met price target | 6%upside $177 | Equal-Weight Maintained | 17 Apr 2025 |
Citigroup Thomas Palmer 40% 1-year accuracy 12 / 30 met price target | 1%downside $165 | Neutral Maintained | 15 Apr 2025 |
Wells Fargo Chris Carey 53% 1-year accuracy 27 / 51 met price target | 21%downside $132 | Underweight Maintained | 14 Mar 2025 |
Barclays Andrew Lazar 37% 1-year accuracy 7 / 19 met price target | 4%downside $160 | Equal-Weight Maintained | 10 Feb 2025 |
Financial journalist opinion
Based on 27 articles about HSY published over the past 30 days
