Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Given Average Recommendation of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $158.84.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Barclays increased their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $171.26 on Monday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $165.40 and its 200 day moving average is $164.59. The stock has a market cap of $34.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.12, a P/E/G ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. Hershey has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. Hershey's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.07 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock worth $9,008,118. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at $28,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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