The Hershey Company (HSY)
The Hershey Company is a household name that makes chocolate, sweets, and snacks, bringing treats to shop shelves across the globe.
Is The Hershey Company a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: The Hershey Company is a household name that makes chocolate, sweets, and snacks, bringing treats to shop shelves across the globe.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Successful expansion into international markets and new snack categories.
Long-term shifts in consumer health preferences away from sugary snacks.
What does The Hershey Company do?
Hershey is a classic consumer brand that earns its keep by selling chocolate bars, mints, and salty snacks to hungry shoppers. Their income rests on keeping those products in high demand, though rising costs for ingredients like cocoa are a challenge they are currently navigating. The balance they strike between these higher costs and the prices they charge at the checkout is what to keep an eye on.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on growth and income, and weakest on momentum.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 3.3% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 7% over the year
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 33%)
- Strong, recognisable brand name
- History of paying dividends to shareholders
- Low sensitivity to wider market swings
- Momentum screens low (26/100)
- Rising costs of ingredients eating into profit margins
- Changing consumer health trends reducing demand for sweets
- Economic downturns leading shoppers to choose cheaper store-brand alternatives
What do The Hershey Company's numbers mean?
How much money does The Hershey Company make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does The Hershey Company pay a dividend?
Yes - The Hershey Company currently pays a dividend of about 3.3% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does The Hershey Company report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
The Hershey Company is next scheduled to report on about 2026-11-05 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-30 | $1.43 | $1.90 | Beat +33% |
| 2026-04-30 | $2.05 | $2.35 | Beat +15% |
| 2026-02-05 | $1.40 | $1.71 | Beat +22% |
| 2025-10-30 | $1.06 | $1.30 | Beat +22% |
| 2025-07-30 | $1.00 | $1.21 | Beat +20% |
| 2025-05-01 | $1.93 | $2.09 | Beat +8% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, The Hershey Company came in ahead of what analysts expected 6 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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PepsiCo, Inc.What are the scenarios for The Hershey Company?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of The Hershey Company?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Strong, recognisable brand name
- History of paying dividends to shareholders
- Low sensitivity to wider market swings
- High efficiency in generating profit from shareholder money
- High exposure to volatile raw material costs like cocoa
- Limited growth potential in saturated markets
- High price-to-earnings ratio compared to some peers
- Rising costs of ingredients eating into profit margins
- Changing consumer health trends reducing demand for sweets
- Economic downturns leading shoppers to choose cheaper store-brand alternatives
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained and significant drop in the price of cocoa
- A major shift in consumer behaviour towards healthier snacking
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.