UBS Group Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $163.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective lowered by UBS Group from $189.00 to $163.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $176.42.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $152.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. Hershey has a 52-week low of $150.31 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $171.86 and a 200-day moving average of $184.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY boosted its holdings in Hershey by 0.8% in the third quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 7,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Hershey by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 1.1% in the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 23.3% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.