Here Are the Facts You Need to Understand HSY

By Kim Brooks • Wednesday, August 23 09:52 • Permanent Link

We're taking a closer look at Hershey Company today, as the chatter surrounding the stock has increased notably in the last few weeks. Today, its shares moved 0.7% compared to 0.0% for the S&P 500. Increased investor interest and volatility surrounding the stock are not reason enough to buy in -- you should first perform your own due diligence. Here are some figures that can get you started:

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.
Hershey Company has moved -7.0% over the last year compared to 8.0% for the S&P 500 -- a difference of -15.0%
HSY has an average analyst rating of hold and is -18.4% away from its mean target price of $263.79 per share
Its trailing 12 month earnings per share (EPS) is $8.68
Hershey Company has a trailing 12 month Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio of 24.8 while the S&P 500 average is 15.97
Its forward earnings per share (EPS) is $10.32 and its forward P/E ratio is 20.9
HSY has a Price to Earnings Growth (PEG) ratio of 2.51, which shows the company is potentially overvalued when we factor growth into the price to earnings calculus.
The company has a Price to Book (P/B) ratio of 11.91 in contrast to the S&P 500's average ratio of 2.95
Hershey Company is part of the Consumer Staples sector, which has an average P/E ratio of 24.36 and an average P/B of 4.29
Hershey Company has on average reported free cash flows of $2.17 Billion over the last four years, during which time they have grown by an an average of 0.0%

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.