Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Now Covered by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an “equal weight” rating and a $183.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 9.33% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bernstein Bank cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.67.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $167.38 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $162.61 and its 200 day moving average is $174.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Hershey has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Company Profile

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.