The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Receives Average Rating of "Reduce" from Analysts

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Reduce" from the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $164.15.

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson lowered 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY traded up $6.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $173.03. The stock had a trading volume of 4,114,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,072,895. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $35.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.87, a PEG ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 0.37. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $160.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction 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 $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock worth $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted 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 worth $1,348,127,000 after acquiring an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company's stock worth $785,003,000 after purchasing an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock worth $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 38.6% during the fourth 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 purchasing an additional 453,428 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.