Barclays Lowers Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $160.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective lowered by Barclays from $170.00 to $160.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

HSY has been the subject of several other reports. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $158.13 on Monday. Hershey has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $163.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.86. The company has a market capitalization of $32.00 billion, a PE ratio of 14.51, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Hershey will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 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.