The Hershey Company (HSY) is a leading confectioners business based in the US. It opened the day at $184.66 after a previous close of $183.5. During the day the price has varied from a low of $183.99 to a high of $186.77. The latest price was $186.51 (25 minute delay). Hershey is listed on the NYSE and employs 15,200 staff. All prices are listed in US Dollars.
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Valuing a stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge value.
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 29x. In other words, Hershey shares trade at around 29x recent earnings.
That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.
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 "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 4.5762. Higher PEG ratios such as this can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value given the current rate of growth.
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 (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is a whopping $2.3 billion (£1.7 billion).
The EBITDA is a measure of a Hershey's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.
To put that into context you can compare it against similar companies.
Since the stock market crash that started in February 2020, Hershey's share price has had significant positive movement.
Its last market close was $199.64, which is 19.70% up on its pre-crash value of $160.32 and 81.69% up on the lowest point reached during the March 2020 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 $1,291.67.
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.
Hershey's 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.
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 |
| Open | $184.66 |
|---|---|
| High | $186.77 |
| Low | $183.99 |
| Close | $186.51 |
| Previous close | $183.5 |
| Change | $3.01 |
| Change % | 1.6403% |
| Volume | 555,241 |
| 52-week range | $141.4781 - $199.91 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | $185.4368 |
| 200-day moving average | $176.5309 |
| Wall St. target price | $194.36 |
| PE ratio | 28.9678 |
| Dividend yield | $3.313 (1.81%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | $6.888 |
Dividend yield: 1.81% of stock value
Forward annual dividend yield: 1.81% of stock value
Dividend payout ratio: 48.85% of net profits
Hershey has recently paid out dividends equivalent to 1.81% of its share value annually.
Hershey has paid out, on average, around 48.85% of recent net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 1.81% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), shareholders could enjoy a 1.81% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Hershey's case, that would currently equate to about $3.313 per share.
While Hershey's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that it may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.
Hershey's most recent dividend payout was on 15 December 2021. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 18 November 2021 (the "ex-dividend date").
Hershey's dividend yield is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.
Over the last 12 months, Hershey's shares have ranged in value from as little as $141.4781 up to $199.91. 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 0.4227. 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.
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