Analysts Set The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Price Target at $223.33

Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the twenty-one analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned 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 $223.33.

Several research firms have weighed in on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Edward Jones restated a "hold" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, April 19th.

Hershey Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Hershey stock traded down $0.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $186.16. 1,186,506 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,496,720. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.52. Hershey has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $276.88. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $191.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $190.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.07. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. Hershey's quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hershey will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. This is a positive change from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.55%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,728 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,824.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,824.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,453 shares of company stock worth $665,534. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Highlander Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 125.3% in the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

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.