Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $199.00 at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective hoisted by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $191.00 to $199.00 in a research note released on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a hold rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Argus lowered Hershey from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $203.21.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $202.83 on Tuesday. Hershey has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $213.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $41.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.10, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $194.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.49.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hershey will post 9.5 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 54.31%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793 over the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 218.2% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 55.0% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.