Banco Santander S.A. Sells 6,231 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Banco Santander S.A. cut its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 52.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,583 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,231 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Andra AP fonden acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $864,000. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $529,000. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in Hershey by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 13,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,370,000 after buying an additional 2,194 shares in the last quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $671,000 after buying an additional 1,483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $80,978,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Up 2.8 %

HSY opened at $185.11 on Monday. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s 50-day moving average is $161.48 and its 200 day moving average is $176.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

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 $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate 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.