By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB cut its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY – Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,492 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,940 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB owned about 0.06% of Hershey worth $19,389,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its position in shares of Hershey by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic boosted its holdings in Hershey by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research firms recently issued reports on HSY. Bernstein Bank dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.35.
View Our Latest Analysis on HSY
Hershey Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $154.98 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $164.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.
Hershey Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.
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.
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