Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Given New $190.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target reduced by equities researchers at UBS Group from $200.00 to $190.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 8.24% from the company’s current price.

HSY has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. DA Davidson raised shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $212.56.

Hershey Stock Up 3.1%

HSY traded up $5.27 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $175.54. 558,261 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,043,866. Hershey has a 12-month low of $161.43 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $182.75 and a 200 day moving average of $197.38. The firm has a market cap of $35.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 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 (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. Analysts predict that Hershey will post 8.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

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

About Hershey

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.