The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Reduce" from Analysts

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Reduce" from the twenty-one analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and sixteen have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $163.05.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays cut their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Hershey by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock worth $1,728,460,000 after buying an additional 1,005,127 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $80,978,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,710,000 after buying an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY traded down $1.95 on Friday, hitting $166.00. 406,349 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,791,515. 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 business's fifty day moving average is $168.19 and its 200 day moving average is $170.98. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

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.