The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Position Cut by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 58,920 shares of the company’s stock after selling 952 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,978,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted 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 buying an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its stake in Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of HSY opened at $172.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $160.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.50.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its 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 net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays decreased their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

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.