Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $180.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $215.00 to $180.00 in a research note released on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 price target on Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. BTIG Research began coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $208.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $208.28.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $174.43 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $196.79. The company has a market cap of $35.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48.

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 business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hershey will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,485,753.85. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

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