The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stake Lessened by Hamel Associates Inc.

Hamel Associates Inc. lowered its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 82.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,035 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,068 shares during the period. Hamel Associates Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.9% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, 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 at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $172.68 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $34.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $160.58 and its 200-day moving average is $177.32. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price objective on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

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.