Stifel Nicolaus Has Lowered Expectations for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective lowered by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $215.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target points to a potential upside of 4.46% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 price target on Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $208.28.

Hershey Stock Down 0.0%

Hershey stock opened at $172.31 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $34.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Hershey has a twelve month low of $161.43 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $180.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $196.94.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

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

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Syon Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co lifted its position in Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey is set to report quarterly earnings soon, but UBS said the Q2 print is unlikely to be a meaningful catalyst in either direction, implying limited near-term upside from the report. Hershey Q2 Print Unlikely to Be Meaningful Catalyst, UBS Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts and market commentary pieces say Hershey does not currently have a strong setup for an earnings beat, keeping expectations muted ahead of the report. Hershey (HSY) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays reiterated a Hold rating on HSY, while Stifel cut its price target from $215 to $180 and also moved to Hold, reinforcing a cautious analyst stance. Barclays Sticks to Its Hold Rating for The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent article warned that HSY looks risky after losing ground over the past six months, with shares lagging the broader market, which may be adding to investor caution. 3 Reasons HSY is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

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.