UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective lowered by UBS Group from $178.00 to $175.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 5.52% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on HSY. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 price target (down from $208.00) on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $178.00 target price (down from $190.00) on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on Hershey from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings raised Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $194.14.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $165.85 on Friday. Hershey has a 52 week low of $156.16 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $169.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $3.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.25 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 14.63% and a return on equity of 37.12%. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Hershey by 126.4% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,508,000 after acquiring an additional 47,017 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 125.9% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 196,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,447,000 after buying an additional 109,418 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth about $62,664,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter worth about $274,871,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,128,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,032,000 after purchasing an additional 118,825 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a global confectionery and snack food manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate producer and has grown into one of the largest branded snack businesses in North America.

Hershey’s portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, gum and mints, and salty snacks. Its brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat in the United States under license from Nestlé, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels.