Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $1.45

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.4520 per share on Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th.

Hershey has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 15 years. Hershey has a dividend payout ratio of 90.5% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings tumble. Analysts expect Hershey to earn $9.82 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 59.1%.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded down $3.21 during trading on Thursday, hitting $160.56. The company had a trading volume of 2,615,185 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,845,492. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $170.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.10. Hershey has a 52 week low of $156.16 and a 52 week high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.53. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The business had revenue of $3.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.30 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Hershey will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.64 per share, well above the roughly $2.11–$2.12 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.28 billion also exceeded expectations and rose 3% year over year. Hershey Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Pricing gains, lower costs and tariff refunds significantly boosted profitability; quarterly earnings more than doubled from the prior year. Hershey raised its full-year 2026 earnings outlook, providing some support for the shares despite weaker volume trends. HSY Q3 Earnings Top Estimates on Cost Relief and Pricing Gains
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared quarterly dividends of $1.452 per common share and $1.320 per Class B share, reinforcing Hershey’s income appeal.
• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane and Evercore maintained “outperform” ratings, with price targets of $195 and $225, respectively, although BNP lowered its target from $230. Evercore rating update
• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey plans to restore the classic Reese’s recipe in 2027. A public disagreement within the Reese family over the timing has generated publicity but is not expected to be a major near-term financial factor. Reese’s recipe dispute
• Negative Sentiment: Hershey trimmed its full-year 2026 organic sales-growth outlook, citing pressured Halloween demand and cautious shoppers facing higher gas prices, inflation and interest rates. Consumers may be buying less candy or trading down as pricing increases. Hershey warns financial pressures could weigh on Halloween spending
• Negative Sentiment: Pricing actions and higher costs have contributed to volume declines and ongoing market-share pressure, making investors question the sustainability of earnings gains once temporary cost benefits and tariff refunds fade.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a global confectionery and snack food manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate producer and has grown into one of the largest branded snack businesses in North America.

Hershey’s portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, gum and mints, and salty snacks. Its brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat in the United States under license from Nestlé, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels.