Barclays Lowers Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $202.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective decreased by stock analysts at Barclays from $204.00 to $202.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 5.76% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Argus lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Citigroup lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $200.61.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $191.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. Hershey has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $196.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $194.09.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $107,153.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 55.0% during 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. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 13.3% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 486 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is 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.