The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Short Interest Update
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
HSY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $213.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $250.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $191.00 to $183.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.48.
Get Our Latest Research Report on HSY
Hershey Stock Up 0.4 %
Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $194.50 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $193.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $192.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.97. Hershey has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $276.88. The stock has a market cap of $39.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.49, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.34.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hershey will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Hershey Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 60.55%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey
In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,121.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,518 shares of company stock worth $1,066,414 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey
Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 121.3% in the 1st 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 period. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
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.
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