Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Lowered to “Underweight” Rating by Wells Fargo & Company

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $160.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $175.00. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price suggests a potential downside of 12.57% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Argus cut Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $185.17.

Hershey Stock Down 0.5 %

HSY stock opened at $183.01 on Thursday. Hershey has a one year low of $168.16 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $37.03 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $179.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.41.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 55.0% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 71.9% during the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.