Hershey (NYSE:HSY) PT Lowered to $191.00 at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price trimmed by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $192.00 to $191.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on HSY. Edward Jones reiterated a hold rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Argus dropped their price objective on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $204.50.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded down $1.94 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $197.14. The stock had a trading volume of 889,614 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,858,723. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.73, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $189.85 and its 200 day moving average is $192.74. Hershey has a twelve month low of $178.82 and a twelve month high of $230.69.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hershey will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total transaction of $274,395.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $867,450 in the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 125.3% during the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.