Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Downgraded to Neutral at UBS Group

by · The Cerbat Gem

UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Free Report) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $209.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $226.00.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of Hershey from a neutral rating to a sell rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Hershey from a hold rating to an underperform rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $163.00 in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $197.90.

Read Our Latest Analysis on HSY

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $186.97 on Monday. Hershey has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $196.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.64. The company has a market cap of $37.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.59, a PEG ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.01 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Hershey will post 9.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 218.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 55.0% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hershey

(Get Free Report)

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.

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