Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC Has $2.36 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,938 shares of the company’s stock after selling 605 shares during the period. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,360,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its position in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $163.08 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $161.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.81. The company has a market cap of $33.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.96, a PEG ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

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.