Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Cut to $151.00 by Analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $171.00 to $151.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on HSY. UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $177.47.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $154.13 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $150.31 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $31.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.76, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $172.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $184.81.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 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.