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How to buy Hershey shares | $149.11
Own Hershey shares in just a few minutes. Share price changes are updated daily.
Fact checked
The Hershey Company (HSY) is a leading confectioners business based in the US. It opened the day at $148.99 after a previous close of $149.7. During the day the price has varied from a low of $148.98 to a high of $150.2. The latest price was $149.11 (25 minute delay). Hershey is listed on the NYSE and employs 14,520 staff. All prices are listed in US Dollars.
How to buy shares in Hershey
- Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
- Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
- Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
- Search the platform for stock code: HSY in this case.
- Research Hershey shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
- Buy your Hershey shares. It's that simple.
What's in this guide?
- Can I buy shares in Hershey?
- Has coronavirus impacted Hershey shares?
- Hershey shares summary
- Compare share dealing platforms
- Is Hershey stock a buy or sell?
- Hershey performance over time
- Can I short Hershey shares?
- Is Hershey suitable for ethical investing?
- Are Hershey shares over-valued?
- Hershey's financials
- How volatile are Hershey shares?
- Does Hershey pay a dividend?
- Have Hershey shares ever split?
- Other common questions
How has Coronavirus impacted Hershey's share price?
Since the stock market crash in March caused by coronavirus, Hershey's share price has had significant negative movement.
Its last market close was $147.5, which is 8.00% down on its pre-crash value of $160.32 and 34.24% up on the lowest point reached during the March crash when the shares fell as low as $109.88.
If you had bought $1,000 worth of Hershey shares at the start of February 2020, those shares would have been worth $720.95 at the bottom of the March crash, and if you held on to them, then as of the last market close they'd be worth $954.33.
Hershey share price
Use our graph to track the performance of HSY stocks over time.Hershey shares at a glance
Information last updated 2020-12-11.
| Open | $148.99 |
|---|---|
| High | $150.2 |
| Low | $148.98 |
| Close | $149.11 |
| Previous close | $149.7 |
| Change | $-0.59 |
| Change % | -0.394% |
| Volume | 608,687 |
Information last updated 2020-12-27.
| 52-week range | $108.0586 - $159.0686 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | $150.2562 |
| 200-day moving average | $143.0289 |
| Wall St. target price | $157.5 |
| PE ratio | 26.3209 |
| Dividend yield | $3.22 (2.14%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | $5.697 |
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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
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.
Hershey price performance over time
Historical closes compared with the last close of $149.11
| 1 week (2021-01-15) | 0.44% |
|---|---|
| 1 month (2020-12-22) | 0.33% |
| 3 months (2020-10-22) | 2.52% |
| 6 months (2020-07-22) | 7.69% |
| 1 year (2020-01-22) | -2.18% |
|---|---|
| 2 years (2019-01-22) | 37.67% |
| 3 years (2018-01-22) | 35.60% |
| 5 years (2016-01-22) | 74.91% |
Is Hershey under- or over-valued?
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 26x. In other words, Hershey shares trade at around 26x recent earnings.
That's comparable to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29).
However, Hershey's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the confectioners industry or those of similar companies.
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 4.328. 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.
However, it's sensible to consider Hershey's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.
Hershey's EBITDA
Hershey's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is a whopping $2 billion (£1.5 billion).
The EBITDA is a measure of a Hershey's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.
To put Hershey's EBITDA into context you can compare it against that of similar companies.
- Mondelez International (MDLZ.US): USD$5.3 billion
Hershey financials
| Revenue TTM | $8 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 21.89% |
| Gross profit TTM | $3.6 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 12.41% |
| Return on equity TTM | 62.06% |
| Profit margin | 14.87% |
| Book value | $9.926 |
| Market capitalisation | $31.2 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
How to short and sell Hershey shares
- Create a CFD or spread betting account.
- Search for the stock code. E.g. "HSY.US"
- Choose your position size.
- Select "sell" rather than "buy".
- Confirm your position and keep tabs on it. You may wish to set limits on your position.
There are currently 1.9 million Hershey shares held short by investors – that's known as Hershey's "short interest". This figure is 10.7% up from 1.7 million last month.
There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting Hershey shares can be evaluated.
Hershey's "short interest ratio" (SIR)
Hershey's "short interest ratio" (SIR) is the quantity of Hershey shares currently shorted divided by the average quantity of Hershey shares traded daily (recently around 974227.83505155). Hershey's SIR currently stands at 1.94. In other words for every 100,000 Hershey shares traded daily on the market, roughly 1940 shares are currently held short.
To gain some more context, you can compare Hershey's short interest ratio against those of similar companies.
However Hershey's short interest can also be evaluated against the total number of Hershey shares, or, against the total number of tradable Hershey shares (the shares that aren't held by "insiders" or major long-term shareholders – also known as the "float"). In this case Hershey's short interest could be expressed as 0.01% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 Hershey shares in existence, roughly 10 shares are currently held short) or 0.0144% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable Hershey shares, roughly 14 shares are currently held short).
Such a low SIR usually points to an optimistic outlook for the share price, with fewer people currently willing to bet against Hershey.
Find out more about how you can short Hershey stock.
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 01/01/2019) 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.).
To gain some more context, you can compare Hershey's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.
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. A high-profile company, 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.
Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
The Hershey Company 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: 51.88% of net profits
Recently Hershey has paid out, on average, around 51.88% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 2.14% 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 2.14% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Hershey's case, that would currently equate to about $3.22 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 2020. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 19 November 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").
Hershey's dividend payout ratio is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.
- Mondelez International (MDLZ.US): 46.88%
Have Hershey's shares ever split?
Hershey's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 16 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 $108.0586 up to $159.0686. 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 0.2955. This would suggest that Hershey's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).
To put Hershey's beta into context you can compare it against those of similar companies.
- Mondelez International (MDLZ.US): 0.6178
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Hershey overview
The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells confectionery products. The company operates through two segments, North America; and International and Other. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products comprising mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items, including spreads, meat snacks, bars and snack bites, mixes, popcorn and protein bars, and cookies. 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, Lancaster, Payday, Rolo, Twizzlers, Whoppers, York, Scharffen Berger, Dagoba, Ice Breakers, Breathsavers, Bubble Yum, SkinnyPop, Pirate's Booty, Oatmega, Paqui, ONE, and Krave brands, as well as under the Pelon Pelo Rico, IO-IO, Nutrine, Maha Lacto, Jumpin, 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 Hershey Company was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
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