Nestlé (OTCMKTS:NSRGY) Stock Rating Lowered by Morgan Stanley

Nestlé (OTCMKTS:NSRGY) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $91.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential downside of 9.55% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Nestlé to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Nestlé from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Nestlé from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Nestlé from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.00.

Nestlé Stock Down 4.3 %

Shares of Nestlé stock opened at $100.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. Nestlé has a 52-week low of $80.11 and a 52-week high of $110.46. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.64.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nestlé

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Nestlé during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Nestlé by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC grew its position in Nestlé by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 3,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nestlé during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $822,000. Finally, Elefante Mark B purchased a new position in shares of Nestlé in the fourth quarter valued at $1,527,000. 0.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nestlé Company Profile

Nestlé SA, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a food and beverage company. The company operates through Zone North America; Zone Europe; Zone Asia, Oceania, and Africa; Zone Latin America; Zone Greater China; Nespresso; and Nestlé Health Science segments. It offers baby foods under the Cerelac, Gerber, Nido, and NaturNes brands; bottled water under the Nestlé Pure Life, Perrier, Vittel, Buxton, Erikli, and S.Pellegrino brands; cereals under the Fitness, Nesquik, cheerios, and Lion Cereals brands; and chocolate and confectionery products under the KitKat, Smarties, Aero, Nestlé Les Recettes de l'Atelier, Milkybar, Baci Perugina, Quality Street, and Fitness brands.