The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by TIAA Trust National Association

TIAA Trust National Association trimmed its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,119 shares of the company’s stock after selling 329 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avestar Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 5,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 3,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $675,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $170.79 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $163.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $174.28. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $34.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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%. Analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on HSY shares. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.