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

Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-three brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $217.50.

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,485,753.85. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $182.20 on Monday. Hershey has a one year low of $160.07 and a one year high of $239.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.93, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $198.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The business’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Hershey will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 108.19%.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.