The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Motco

Motco lessened its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,668 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,406 shares during the quarter. Motco’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,718,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup upgraded 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 report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $172.33 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $160.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.50. The firm has a market cap of $34.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.