The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the twenty brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $225.48.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. DA Davidson started coverage on Hershey in a research report on Friday, December 8th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $205.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America cut shares of Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $250.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock traded up $2.28 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $200.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,991,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,064,525. Hershey has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $276.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. The firm's revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. This is an increase from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total value of $396,170.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,833,624.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $369,681.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,518 shares of company stock worth $1,066,414. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $349,448,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 143.7% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,465,403 shares of the company's stock worth $496,039,000 after acquiring an additional 1,453,819 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Hershey by 2,693.0% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,094,755 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,156,000 after acquiring an additional 1,055,559 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Hershey by 57.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,648,666 shares of the company's stock valued at $613,352,000 after acquiring an additional 964,019 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 36.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,378,426 shares of the company's stock worth $319,202,000 after purchasing an additional 369,940 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

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.