CoreFirst Bank & Trust Buys New Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $117,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,939,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bernstein Bank cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.67.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $165.09 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $163.02 and its 200 day moving average is $174.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $33.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.15, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Hershey 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.