Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target cut by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $150.00 to $134.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “underperform” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective points to a potential downside of 12.63% from the company’s current price.

HSY has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $175.00.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY traded up $0.50 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $153.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 604,178 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,944,672. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $171.34 and a 200 day moving average of $184.17. Hershey has a one year low of $150.31 and a one year high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.03 billion, a PE ratio of 17.70, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 26,318 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 11.2% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 27,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,001,000 after purchasing an additional 2,742 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $371,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $460,000. 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.