The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have assigned a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $204.50.

HSY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays cut their target price on Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Argus dropped their price target on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value of $274,395.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 35,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,535,723.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 4,500 shares of company stock worth $867,450 over the last three months. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in shares of Hershey by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 42,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,860,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Hershey by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 107,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,784,000 after purchasing an additional 6,289 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 89,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,651,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 18,495.8% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 295,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,125,000 after purchasing an additional 294,083 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Hershey by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,535 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $201.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.86. The business’s fifty day moving average is $190.24 and its 200 day moving average is $193.07. The company has a market capitalization of $40.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $227.65.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Hershey will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 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.