Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Has $1.65 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,748 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,651,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth $46,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Bernstein Bank decreased their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Down 4.9 %

HSY stock opened at $170.73 on Thursday. 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 has a market capitalization of $34.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.66, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $162.06 and a 200-day moving average of $176.17.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.