Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Cut to $183.00 by Analysts at Royal Bank of Canada

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price decreased by investment analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $205.00 to $183.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector perform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 4.45% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on HSY. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Argus downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $190.56.

Hershey Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of HSY stock traded up $2.35 on Friday, reaching $175.20. 1,495,152 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,679,400. The stock has a market cap of $35.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a P/E/G ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.38. 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 $171.67 and a one year high of $211.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $189.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. Equities research analysts forecast that Hershey will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.