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

Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) have been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $187.94.

A number of research firms have recently commented on HSY. UBS Group downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $187.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.37. Hershey has a one year low of $168.16 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $180.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $188.69.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in Hershey by 218.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 71.9% in the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.