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

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have given a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $213.06.

A number of analysts have commented on HSY shares. Edward Jones reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, March 15th. BNP Paribas downgraded Hershey from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $208.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 38,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,824.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atria Investments Inc grew its position in shares of Hershey by 30.5% in the 1st quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 32,581 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,337,000 after purchasing an additional 7,612 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,588,000. Arrow Financial Corp acquired a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $520,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 53.3% during the 1st quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services boosted its position in Hershey by 280.6% during the 1st quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services now owns 746 shares of the company's stock worth $145,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded down $1.75 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $205.60. 1,148,193 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,942,231. The stock's fifty day moving average is $195.31 and its 200 day moving average is $192.07. The stock has a market cap of $41.58 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.97. Hershey has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $263.90.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

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.