Morgan Stanley Downgrades Nestlé (OTCMKTS:NSRGY) to Underweight

Nestlé (OTCMKTS:NSRGY - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. They presently have a $91.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential downside of 7.28% from the stock's current price.

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

Nestlé Stock Up 0.8 %

OTCMKTS:NSRGY traded up $0.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $98.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 511,645 shares, compared to its average volume of 883,353. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $91.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.52. Nestlé has a 1 year low of $80.11 and a 1 year high of $110.46.

Institutional Trading of Nestlé

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Nestlé in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Nestlé in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Nestlé during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Nestlé during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Nestlé in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. 0.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Nestlé

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.