Brokerages Set The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Target Price at $188.41

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and thirteen have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $185.17.

A number of brokerages recently commented on HSY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 95.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 218,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,558,000 after purchasing an additional 106,450 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 14.9% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after buying an additional 1,083 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in Hershey by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 116,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,329,000 after acquiring an additional 2,391 shares during the period. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co raised its stake in Hershey by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 5,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in Hershey by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 8,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,582,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.5 %

HSY opened at $183.10 on Friday. Hershey has a 52 week low of $168.16 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $188.34. The firm has a market cap of $37.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. 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.