Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $168.00 at Piper Sandler

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by analysts at Piper Sandler from $165.00 to $168.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler's target price would indicate a potential downside of 4.36% from the stock's current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Argus cut Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group downgraded Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut Hershey from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $190.56.

Hershey Stock Up 1.6 %

NYSE:HSY traded up $2.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $175.66. The stock had a trading volume of 3,114,939 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,686,864. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Hershey has a twelve month low of $171.67 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $35.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a PEG ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $189.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $192.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by ($0.16). Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company'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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company's stock, valued at $644,912.46. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.