The Hershey Company (HSY) To Go Ex-Dividend on November 18th

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 7th,RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of 1.37 per share on Monday, December 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th.

Hershey has raised its dividend by an average of 12.2% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 15 years. Hershey has a payout ratio of 66.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Hershey to earn $8.43 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 65.0%.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $170.92 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Hershey has a twelve month low of $170.58 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $187.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HSY. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Barclays cut their target price on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup cut shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $189.33.

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.