Wells Fargo & Company Increases Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $205.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target increased by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $200.00 to $205.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 3.48% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Hershey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $213.06.

Hershey Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE HSY opened at $198.11 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $192.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $190.85. Hershey has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $275.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.63, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.33.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. The company had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,121.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth $29,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Highlander Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 125.3% during the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.