Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Cut to $180.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target cut by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $195.00 to $180.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price points to a potential downside of 0.70% from the stock’s current price.

HSY has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citigroup cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Hershey from $179.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.55.

Hershey Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $181.26 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $36.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Hershey has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $192.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.71.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.01 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Hershey will post 9.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in Hershey by 218.2% during the 2nd 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. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently 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.