Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Rating Lowered by UBS Group

by · The Markets Daily

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $209.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $226.00. UBS Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 11.41% from the company’s previous close.

HSY has been the subject of a number of other reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $179.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $197.90.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Hershey

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $187.60 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $196.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.71. The company has a market capitalization of $37.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Hershey has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

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

Insider Transactions at Hershey

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 55.0% during 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 last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Company Profile

(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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