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

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 6th,RTT News reports. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%.

Hershey has increased its dividend payment 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 Trading Up 4.5 %

NYSE HSY opened at $152.43 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a PEG ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. Hershey has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The business’s fifty day moving average is $165.24 and its 200-day moving average is $180.97.

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

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related 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 transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.10.

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.