UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target reduced by research analysts at UBS Group from $200.00 to $190.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 10.78% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research downgraded Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Hershey from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $212.56.

Hershey Stock Down 1.8%

NYSE HSY opened at $171.50 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $182.21 and a 200-day moving average of $197.13. The company has a market cap of $34.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.94, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Hershey has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.09 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total transaction of $260,145.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,485,753.85. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $9,633,000. Prudential PLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 237.3% during the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,454,000 after buying an additional 5,620 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 38,266.7% during the 4th quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,047,000 after acquiring an additional 5,740 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $2,744,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Hershey by 833.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 185,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,940,000 after purchasing an additional 165,458 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.