Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by investment analysts at Barclays from $160.00 to $165.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Barclays's price target points to a potential downside of 0.05% from the stock's current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on HSY. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $161.40.

Hershey Trading Up 1.1 %

HSY stock traded up $1.74 during trading on Monday, reaching $165.09. 620,907 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,767,481. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.15, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $168.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.79. Hershey has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its holdings in Hershey by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company's stock worth $1,179,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 2.6% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $473,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.0% in the first quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 2,407 shares of the company's stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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