Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Shares Down 3.4% - Should You Sell?

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) shares were down 3.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $163.56 and last traded at $163.78. Approximately 1,063,191 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 46% from the average daily volume of 1,962,456 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.62.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on HSY. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $162.50.

Hershey Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $32.95 billion, a PE ratio of 14.94, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $165.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $172.52.

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Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HSY. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 18,311.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,728,460,000 after buying an additional 1,005,127 shares during the last quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.0% during the first quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 17,538 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,000,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at about $325,000. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.9% in the first quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 25,259 shares of the company's stock worth $4,320,000 after purchasing an additional 714 shares during the period. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 699,426 shares of the company's stock worth $119,623,000 after purchasing an additional 17,397 shares during the last quarter. 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.