The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Receives $223.33 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have issued a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $212.78.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. BNP Paribas lowered Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, March 15th.

Hershey Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $192.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a fifty day moving average of $191.77 and a 200 day moving average of $190.64. The company has a market capitalization of $39.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.34. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $276.88.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.02 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey’s payout ratio is 60.55%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 38,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,824.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,453 shares of company stock worth $665,534. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Highlander Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 125.3% during the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Hershey

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. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.