Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Stock Has Average Target Price of $193.81

Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-five analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seventeen have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $193.81.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $173.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 30th. DA Davidson set a $170.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on Hershey from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 27th.

Hershey Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $173.81 on Friday. Hershey has a twelve month low of $156.16 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $168.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $188.21. The firm has a market cap of $34.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.08.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.53. Hershey had a net margin of 14.63% and a return on equity of 37.12%. The firm had revenue of $3.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 8.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $1.4520 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 65.72%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HSY. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 101.9% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 17,893 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,820,000 after purchasing an additional 9,029 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth $258,000. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 19.6% in the third quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 1,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its position in shares of Hershey by 9.1% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 25,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,056,000 after buying an additional 2,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 58.2% in the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 49,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,786,000 after buying an additional 18,179 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company is a global confectionery company best known for its chocolate and candy products. Milton S. Hershey established the Hershey Chocolate Company in 1894, and the company is headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Its portfolio includes chocolate bars, packaged candy, gum, mints and other snacks. Well-known brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kisses, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers; the company also sells salty snacks under brands such as SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels. Hershey sells its products primarily in North America and also serves consumers in international markets through its operations and distribution partners.