Analysts Set The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Price Target at $163.75

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the twenty-one research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and sixteen have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $163.75.

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Hershey Stock Up 1.8 %

HSY stock traded up $2.91 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $167.38. The company had a trading volume of 872,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,746,937. The company has a 50 day moving average of $162.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $175.30. The company has a market capitalization of $33.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. Hershey has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HSY. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 271,136 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,917,000 after acquiring an additional 2,073 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 13,103 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,219,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC now owns 1,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Cim LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Cim LLC now owns 10,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,751,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.