HSY
Hershey Company (The)
$183.29
▲ 0.1%Updated Aug 7, 11:30 AM ET
HSY at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
Overall: Weak · 41/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
▲ Up 1.7% over the last 12 months
Market Cap
$36.95B
P/E
33.93x
Forward P/E (est.)
48.48x
ROE
23.7%
Revenue Growth
2.8%
EPS Growth
-40.0%
Profit Margin
9.1%
FCF Yield
5.4%
Debt / Equity
1.17x
ROIC
12.0%
Interest Coverage
6.41x
Current Ratio
1.24x
Dividend Yield
3.2%
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
3.9%
Rating Score
41/100
Hershey Company (The) (HSY) is a large-cap company in the Packaged Foods & Meats industry, part of the Consumer Staples sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $36.95B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $11.69B in revenue and $883.26M in net profit.
Our model rates HSY Weak (41/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (9 years of history).
Some durable-advantage evidence, but not across the board — dig into which ingredient is weak and whether it's cyclical or structural.
41.9% average over the last 3 years
±3.9 pts around 44.1% across 9 years
grew in 8 of the last 8 year-over-year periods
positive in 9 of 9 years
12.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what HSY's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. HSY trades near $183.29, below its 50-day average ($185.10) and 200-day average ($193.50). Price below both averages is a downtrend — momentum is against buyers for now.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 51 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. HSY's is $5.25 (~2.9% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. Over the last month HSY found buyers near $167.77 (support) and sellers near $187.43 (resistance); its 52-week range is $160.07–$239.48. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 1.0× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.
4Y CAGR
6.8%
Revenue moved from $7.52B in 2017 to $11.69B in 2025, a 5.7% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year was roughly flat (2.8%) year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.
Gross Margin
33.5%
Operating Margin
12.3%
Net Margin
7.6%
ROE
23.7%
Hershey Company (The) keeps about 9.1% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 33.5% gross margin and 12.3% operating margin. Return on equity is 23.7% and return on invested capital about 12.0%. Margins are moderate — typical of a competitive but profitable business.
Total Debt
$5.19B
Net Debt
$4.82B
Net Debt / EBITDA
3.35x
Debt / Equity
1.17x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 1.2x, and operating profit covers interest about 6.4x, with a current ratio of 1.2x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $5.19B of total debt against $365.96M of cash.
Operating CF
$2.28B
Free Cash Flow
$1.82B
FCF Margin
15.6%
In the latest year Hershey Company (The) produced about $2.28B of operating cash flow and $1.82B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 5.4% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.
Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.
The dividend is being paid, but coverage or consistency is thinner than an income investor should rely on without a closer look.
Dividend yield
3.2%
Total paid (latest FY)
$1.09B
History on record
9 years
dividend uses 60% of free cash flow
123% of net income paid out
total dividends increased 8 years in a row
no cuts in the last 9 years on record
Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.
P/E
33.93x
P/S
3.16x
P/B
7.99x
EV / EBITDA
—
HSY trades at 33.9x trailing earnings (about 48.5x on estimated forward earnings), 3.2x sales, and 8.0x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 3.9% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a premium multiple that needs growth to justify it.
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
DCF fair value / share
$130.41
Current price
$183.29
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$1.82B
Growth, years 1–5
2.8%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Where HSY sits versus its Consumer Staples sector peers in the S&P 500.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 48 Consumer Staples companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
How HSY stacks up against its Consumer Staples peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Consumer Staples sector (74 S&P 500 companies), HSY ranks #34 of 74 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (33.9x P/E vs. 22x median) with a higher return on equity (23.7% vs. 18.1%) and slower revenue growth (2.8% vs. 3.4%).
P/E vs sector
33.9x
median 22x
ROE vs sector
23.7%
median 18.1%
Growth vs sector
2.8%
median 3.4%
Sector rank
#34
of 74 by rating
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Consumer Staples companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 74 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$0.00 – $0.00
vs. $183.29 today · expected CAGR -10% – -0%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $12.04B | $12.40B | $12.78B | $13.16B | $13.55B |
| Net income | $963.47M | $992.37M | $1.02B | $1.05B | $1.08B |
| EPS | $4.78 | $4.92 | $5.07 | $5.22 | $5.38 |
| Share price (low) | $95.60 | $98.46 | $101.42 | $104.46 | $107.59 |
| Share price (high) | $162.51 | $167.39 | $172.41 | $177.58 | $182.91 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -48% / -11% | -27% / -4% | -18% / -2% | -13% / -1% | -10% / -0% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for HSY:
- Strong return on equity (23.7%) shows capital is put to work well.
- Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~5.4%) funds buybacks and dividends.
- Pays a 3.2% dividend on top of any price gains.
The case against HSY:
- Revenue growth is slow (2.8%), limiting the upside engine.
- Our model's overall read is Weak (41/100).
Valuation risk — at 33.9x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.
Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 1.2x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.
Growth risk — sluggish revenue (2.8%) leaves little margin for execution missteps.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the fundamentals screen weakly: Hershey Company (The) is a large-cap consumer staples business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 33.9x earnings, which our model scores Weak (41/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 28 Wall Street analysts covering HSY recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Analysts have turned more positive over the last three months (+6 pts of buy ratings).
Latest SEC Filings
HSY's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.
HSY — frequently asked questions
Is HSY a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Hershey Company (The) Weak (41/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is HSY's rating on The Stocks School?
Hershey Company (The) currently scores 41/100 (Weak) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does HSY's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Hershey Company (The)'s SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for HSY calculated?
It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this HSY analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell HSY. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.