Wells Fargo & Company Boosts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $205.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $200.00 to $205.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Hershey from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and cut their price target for the company from $191.00 to $183.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $213.06.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE HSY opened at $200.08 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $192.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $190.97. Hershey has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $275.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $40.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.33.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. The business had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Hershey will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total value of $278,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,824.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Highlander Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 125.3% in the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.