<div id="readability-page-1"><p><span>Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report)</span> had its price target cut by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group  from $163.00 to $161.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an &#34;underperform&#34; rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective would suggest a potential downside of 9.98% from the stock's current price.</p><ul><li>3 Stocks Raising Dividends 4X Higher Than Inflation</li></ul><p>HSY has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. reduced their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, August 12th. They set a &#34;sell&#34; rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Argus cut Hershey from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a &#34;sell&#34; rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a &#34;hold&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued  a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company  has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus target price of $191.00.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Report on HSY</b></p><h2>Hershey Stock Performance</h2><ul><li>3 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy as Interest Rates Fall</li></ul><p>NYSE:HSY traded up $1.35 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $178.85. 180,800 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,663,836. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.37. Hershey has a 1-year low of $176.78 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a 50-day moving average of $191.46 and a 200 day moving average of $192.52. </p><p>Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.01 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis.  Research analysts anticipate that  Hershey will post 9.45 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Insiders Place Their Bets</h2><ul><li>3 Stocks to Secure Your Portfolio in a High VIX Market</li></ul><p>In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own  0.34% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey</h2><p>Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its stake in shares of  Hershey by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 5,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter.  Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of  Hershey by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 28,392 shares of the company's stock worth $5,523,000 after purchasing an additional 3,003 shares during the period.  Norden Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of  Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $374,000.  Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in  Hershey by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 19,179 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,730,000 after buying an additional 1,099 shares during the period.  Finally, Baillie Gifford &amp; Co. boosted its stake in  Hershey by 56.0% during the first quarter. Baillie Gifford &amp; Co. now owns 144,003 shares of the company's stock worth $28,009,000 after buying an additional 51,716 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>About Hershey</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Hershey</li><li>Stock Market Upgrades: What Are They?</li><li>Microsoft Can Hit New All-Time Highs This Year - Here’s Why</li><li>Best ESG Stocks: 11 Best Stocks for ESG Investing</li><li>Zillow Stock’s Bull Case: Why This Recent Sell-Off Could Be a Buy</li><li>What is the NASDAQ Stock Exchange?</li><li>IonQ’s Quantum Surge: Ride the Wave or Cash Out?</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsAndPriceTargetChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUhTWQ?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="330" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsAndPriceTargetChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUhTWQ"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><p>→ Never thought I’d see this again… <span><span>(From Porter &amp; Company)</span> <span>(Ad)</span></span><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/TriggeredCampaignPixel.ashx/query-UGxhY2VtZW50PU5hdGl2ZURpc3BsYXkmU291cmNlPU5hdGl2ZURpc3BsYXkmVHJpZ2dlcmVkQ2FtcGFpZ25JRD0xMDIyMg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" height="1" width="1" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/TriggeredCampaignPixel.ashx/query-UGxhY2VtZW50PU5hdGl2ZURpc3BsYXkmU291cmNlPU5hdGl2ZURpc3BsYXkmVHJpZ2dlcmVkQ2FtcGFpZ25JRD0xMDIyMg"/></p><h2>Should you invest $1,000 in Hershey right now?</h2><p>Before you consider Hershey, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. 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<p>Jefferies Financial Group has lowered its price target for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) from an unspecified amount to another unspecified amount, maintaining an "underperform" rating. This suggests a potential downside of 9.98% from the current stock price. Other analysts have also adjusted their ratings, with five giving a sell rating and fifteen a hold rating. Hershey's recent performance shows a decline in revenue and earnings per share, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target price that remains unspecified.</p>

Jefferies Financial Group Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $161.00