Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Receives Average Rating of "Reduce" from Brokerages

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" by the twenty research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and fifteen have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $158.84.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley lowered 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 28th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $167.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. The business's 50 day moving average price is $164.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.42. The firm has a market cap of $33.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a P/E/G ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.29. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The firm's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

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.

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