The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Receives Average Recommendation of "Reduce" from Brokerages

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and thirteen have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $188.41.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $185.00 target price for the company. Barclays cut their price target on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HSY. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Hershey by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after acquiring an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company's stock valued at $841,476,000 after purchasing an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $717,606,000 after purchasing an additional 35,688 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company's stock worth $185,027,000 after purchasing an additional 29,507 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1 %

Hershey stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $174.70. The company had a trading volume of 2,332,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,182,235. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $35.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13, a P/E/G ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $180.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.86. Hershey has a 1 year low of $168.16 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.13%.

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.