Hershey's (HSY, $233.41) sued over potentially harmful levels of metals in dark chocolates
The Hershey Company has been sued by a consumer in the U.S. for allegedly selling dark chocolates containing harmful levels of lead and cadmium.
Christopher Lazazzaro, who has filed a class action complaint at a federal court in Central Islip, New York, alleged that Hershey put out “deceptive and misleading” advertising and marketing campaign since it failed to disclose the amounts of lead and cadmium in its dark chocolates. Lazazzaro claimed in the suit that he would not have purchased or would have spent less on Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate, Lily’s Extra Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa and Lily’s Extreme Dark Chocolate 85% had Hershey's disclosed their metals content.
Lazazzaro seeks at least $5 million in damages through the potential class action lawsuit, including at least $500 per transaction under the law in New York.
The lawsuit comes a few weeks after Consumer Reports revealed the results of scientific testing of 28 dark chocolate bars for lead and cadmium. According to the study, while all 28 contained the heavy metals, 23 including chocolates from Dove, Godiva, Lindt and Trader Joe's contained potentially harmful levels of lead, cadmium or both for people who consume one ounce of chocolate a day. The magazine said that Hershey's Special Dark bar and Lily's 70% bar were high in lead, and Lily's 85% bar was high in lead and cadmium.
HSY in -0.32% downward trend, falling for three consecutive days on September 12, 2025
Moving lower for three straight days is viewed as a bearish sign. Keep an eye on this stock for future declines. Considering data from situations where HSY declined for three days, in of 286 cases, the price declined further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bearish Trend Analysis
The 10-day RSI Indicator for HSY moved out of overbought territory on September 17, 2025. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 47 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In of the 47 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at .
The Stochastic Oscillator may be shifting from an upward trend to a downward trend. In of 63 cases where HSY's Stochastic Oscillator exited the overbought zone, the price fell further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
HSY broke above its upper Bollinger Band on September 16, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on August 25, 2025. You may want to consider a long position or call options on HSY as a result. In of 82 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for HSY just turned positive on September 16, 2025. Looking at past instances where HSY's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in of 46 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where HSY advanced for three days, in of 314 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In of 232 cases where HSY Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are .
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to outstanding earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. HSY’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating well-balanced risk and returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 84, placing this stock slightly better than average.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is significantly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: HSY's P/B Ratio (8.584) is very high in comparison to the industry average of (3.008). P/E Ratio (25.377) is within average values for comparable stocks, (25.933). HSY's Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (49.103) is very high in comparison to the industry average of (8.189). Dividend Yield (0.029) settles around the average of (0.029) among similar stocks. HSY's P/S Ratio (4.359) is slightly higher than the industry average of (2.099).
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General Information
a manufacturer of chocolate, candy, chewing gum, non-confectionery products and snack foods
Industry FoodSpecialtyCandy
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