The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Receives $189.33 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) have earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and fourteen have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $189.33.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Argus lowered Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 15th.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after buying an additional 2,158,912 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,476,000 after buying an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,487,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,327,000 after buying an additional 90,329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 4.5 %

HSY stock opened at $170.92 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.58 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.38. Hershey has a 1-year low of $170.58 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $187.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $191.96.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given 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 dividend yield of 3.21%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.