The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Receives $200.72 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) has been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the twenty analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $198.63.

HSY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $179.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Argus lowered Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company.

Hershey Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $191.75 on Tuesday. Hershey has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $196.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.78 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Hershey will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 218.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. 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.