Prudential PLC Has $1.47 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Prudential PLC cut its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 39.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,683 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,621 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,470,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on HSY shares. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

Hershey Trading Down 2.8 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $162.12 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $32.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.87, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $165.54 and its 200-day moving average is $172.52. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share 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 paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

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.