Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $176.62 and last traded at $176.82, with a volume of 2851177 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $180.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.61.

Hershey Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $189.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $192.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $35.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 14.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after buying an additional 2,158,912 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 30,461.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,100,130,000 after acquiring an additional 571,766 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 297.9% in the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,959,000 after acquiring an additional 537,419 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at about $82,123,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 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.