Stifel Nicolaus Lowers Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $160.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price lowered by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $170.00 to $160.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target points to a potential upside of 3.33% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.35.

Hershey Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE HSY traded up $2.50 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $154.84. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 668,054 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,024,907. Hershey has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.78. The stock has a market cap of $31.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.78, a P/E/G ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 9.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp lifted its holdings in Hershey by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Hershey by 61.9% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic raised its position in shares of Hershey by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,423,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.