Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Rating) had its price target boosted by Morgan Stanley from $231.00 to $246.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.
HSY has been the subject of several other research reports. BNP Paribas started coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, November 15th. They set a neutral rating and a $235.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upgraded Hershey from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the company from $244.00 to $269.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 8th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, January 3rd. They issued an underweight rating and a $220.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Hershey from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, November 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $243.71.
Get Hershey alerts:Hershey Price Performance
NYSE:HSY opened at $240.53 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $49.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.35. Hershey has a 12 month low of $193.09 and a 12 month high of $242.63. The business's 50-day moving average is $229.38 and its 200 day moving average is $227.59.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.58 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 57.76% and a net margin of 15.79%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.69 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hershey will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.Hershey Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 17th will be given a $1.036 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 16th. This represents a $4.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.01%.
Insider Activity at Hershey
In related news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 1,512 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.38, for a total value of $357,406.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,241,478.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Robert Malcolm sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.24, for a total value of $521,928.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,031,689.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Charles R. Raup sold 1,512 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.38, for a total transaction of $357,406.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,241,478.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 32,423 shares of company stock valued at $7,308,449 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HM Payson & Co. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 3,145 shares of the company's stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Running Point Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.5% during the second quarter. Running Point Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the company's stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Hershey by 3.9% during the second quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,255 shares of the company's stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in Hershey by 3.5% during the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,396 shares of the company's stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Eukles Asset Management grew its position in Hershey by 0.3% during the second quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 14,594 shares of the company's stock worth $3,140,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. 54.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Hershey
(Get Rating)
The Hershey Co engages in the manufacture and marketing of chocolate, sweets, mints and confectionery products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: North America and International and Other. The North America is responsible for the traditional chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery market position of the company, as well as its grocery and snacks market positions, in the United States and Canada.
Featured Stories
- Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Hershey (HSY)
- Energizer Holdings Inc; Losing Power Or Electrifying Time To Buy?
- Can Cummins Power To A New High?
- How to Find Penny Stocks to Invest and Trade
- ONSemi Is Marching Higher On Great Results
- What Tyson Foods Q1 Means For Staples Stocks
Receive News & Ratings for Hershey Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hershey and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.