Hershey (NYSE:HSY) PT Lowered to $202.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price cut by research analysts at Barclays from $204.00 to $202.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s target price points to a potential upside of 5.76% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Argus cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.61.

Hershey Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $191.00 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Hershey has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $38.63 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $196.49 and a 200-day moving average of $194.09.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hershey will post 9.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were 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 approximately $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by 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.