The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $1.37

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 6th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of 1.37 per share on Friday, March 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%.

Hershey has increased its dividend by an average of 17.1% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 15 years. Hershey has a payout ratio of 70.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Hershey to earn $7.54 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.48 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 72.7%.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $145.96 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Hershey has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $165.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $180.97.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 43.24%. Analysts forecast that Hershey will post 9.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.10.

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.