Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price decreased by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $150.00 to $140.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target indicates a potential downside of 9.16% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on HSY. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $176.95.

Hershey Trading Up 1.6 %

Hershey stock opened at $154.13 on Friday. Hershey has a 12 month low of $150.31 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $172.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $184.81. The company has a market capitalization of $31.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Hershey

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.