Brokerages Set The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Price Target at $210.56

Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research 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 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $210.22.

Several brokerages have recently commented on HSY. Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Edward Jones restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, April 19th. BNP Paribas downgraded Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 15th.

Hershey Trading Down 0.2 %

Hershey stock opened at $182.72 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $194.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $36.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.37. Hershey has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $262.30.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. The business had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 38,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,824.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $882,405. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HSY. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 125.3% in the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. 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.