The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Receives $158.84 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" by the twenty analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $158.84.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Bernstein Bank cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock traded down $0.67 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $160.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,073,023 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,784,156. Hershey has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $32.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $163.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.07 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 46,708 shares of the company's stock worth $7,910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,578 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,682 shares of the company's stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in Hershey by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 11,516 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN raised its position in Hershey by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 3,309 shares of the company's stock valued at $560,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its stake in Hershey by 788.4% in the fourth quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 57,158 shares of the company's stock worth $9,617,000 after purchasing an additional 50,724 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.