Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $170.00 to $160.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler downgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bernstein Bank cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.35.

Hershey Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $154.98 on Friday. Hershey has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $31.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 43.24% and a net margin of 16.17%. Analysts expect that Hershey will post 9.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 61.9% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.