Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Rating) had its target price upped by The Goldman Sachs Group from $255.00 to $277.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, The Fly reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, November 15th. They set a neutral rating and a $235.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Hershey from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, December 6th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Hershey from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, November 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $224.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, December 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $243.71.

Hershey Stock Up 0.8 %

Hershey stock opened at $236.28 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $227.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.80. Hershey has a one year low of $193.09 and a one year high of $242.63.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.036 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 16th. This represents a $4.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 52.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 14,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.39, for a total transaction of $3,140,557.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 150,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,180,816.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, major shareholder Hershey Trust Co sold 8,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.83, for a total value of $1,985,138.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 39,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,147,792.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 14,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.39, for a total value of $3,140,557.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 150,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,180,816.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 41,023 shares of company stock worth $9,293,587. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its holdings in Hershey by 121.3% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 135 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Capital Directions Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.17% of the company's stock.

Hershey Company Profile

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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.

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