Barclays Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $160.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective lowered by stock analysts at Barclays from $170.00 to $160.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 3.24% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.05.

Hershey Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $154.98 on Monday. Hershey has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a 50-day moving average of $164.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $180.46. The company has a market cap of $31.36 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Hershey will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third 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 last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its holdings in Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic boosted its position in Hershey by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,423,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.