Jefferies Financial Group Lowers Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $134.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price dropped by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $150.00 to $134.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “underperform” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price suggests a potential downside of 11.37% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on HSY. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $175.00.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $151.18 on Tuesday. Hershey has a twelve month low of $150.31 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $30.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $170.78 and a 200 day moving average of $183.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $695,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 48.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 80,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,864,000 after acquiring an additional 26,318 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 11.2% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 27,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,001,000 after acquiring an additional 2,742 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth about $371,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $460,000. 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.