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

Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $202.79.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays decreased their price objective on Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Argus downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Citigroup cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th.

Hershey Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $197.32 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.90 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Hershey has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $214.66. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $192.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $193.22.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Hershey will post 9.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793 in the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HSY. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 20.6% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 5,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mount Lucas Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP now owns 9,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,793,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. 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.