Brokerages Set The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Price Target at $163.75

Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) have received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the twenty-one research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $163.75.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 10.5% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 25,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 23.6% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 92,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,754,000 after acquiring an additional 17,703 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 11.6% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 123,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,620,000 after acquiring an additional 12,832 shares during the period. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 6.5% during the third quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $739,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $167.38 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.36, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. Hershey has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $162.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $174.96.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Hershey Company Profile

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.