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

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective reduced by analysts at UBS Group from $178.00 to $175.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group‘s target price points to a potential upside of 5.52% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $194.14.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $165.85 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.32 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.08. Hershey has a twelve month low of $156.16 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $169.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $189.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $3.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.25 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 14.63% and a return on equity of 37.12%. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Delta Asset Management LLC TN raised its holdings in Hershey by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 2.7% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Intrua Financial LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 4.2% during the third quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Eastern Bank boosted its stake in Hershey by 10.7% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 702 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 4.1% during the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $393,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Company Profile

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.