Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Receives $218.33 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $217.7778.

A number of analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays cut their target price on Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd.

Hershey Stock Down 0.2%

HSY opened at $190.49 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $200.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $197.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.24. Hershey has a one year low of $150.04 and a one year high of $239.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.07.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,859,600 over the last quarter. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.