Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 224,507 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 19,162,677 shares of the company’s stock after selling 224,507 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.09% of Hershey worth $3,245,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, City State Bank raised its position in Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing 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 news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction 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 owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $165.09 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $163.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $174.34. The company has a market capitalization of $33.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.67.

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.