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

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective dropped by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $180.00 to $170.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 12.93% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on HSY. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $168.00 to $153.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.79.

Hershey Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE HSY opened at $150.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $147.60 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $30.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $169.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $183.26.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Hershey by 48.3% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 80,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,864,000 after buying an additional 26,318 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $460,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 64.3% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 5,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,140 shares in the last quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its holdings in Hershey by 59.8% in the 2nd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 28,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,258,000 after purchasing an additional 10,706 shares during the period. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its position in Hershey by 7.6% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 46,303 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,512,000 after purchasing an additional 3,290 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by 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.