Jefferies Financial Group Lowers Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $161.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $163.00 to $161.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “underperform” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 10.19% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on HSY. UBS Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hershey in a research note on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.61.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $179.26 on Thursday. 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 1-year low of $176.78 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $36.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $190.76 and a 200-day moving average of $192.39.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 9.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in Hershey by 218.2% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter worth $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 71.9% during the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.