Hershey (NYSE:HSY) PT Lowered to $192.00 at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price decreased by research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $197.00 to $192.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft’s price objective points to a potential upside of 1.35% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Argus decreased their target price on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Hershey from $204.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.89.

Hershey Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE HSY traded down $1.85 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $189.44. 701,813 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,842,296. Hershey has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $247.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $191.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.50. The stock has a market cap of $38.31 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.36.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. Hershey’s revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Hershey will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value of $274,395.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after buying an additional 2,158,912 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $349,448,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 297.9% during the 2nd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,959,000 after acquiring an additional 537,419 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Hershey by 18,495.8% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 295,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,125,000 after buying an additional 294,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 3,404.3% in the first quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 256,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,879,000 after buying an additional 249,129 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.