Parthenon LLC Buys 375 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Parthenon LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,615 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the quarter. Parthenon LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,169,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth $206,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 31.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $196,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 107.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 17,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,377,000 after purchasing an additional 9,129 shares in the last quarter. Ledyard National Bank boosted its stake in Hershey by 140.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock valued at $600,000 after buying an additional 1,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Hershey by 22.1% in the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Mizuho cut their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price target 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. Five 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock opened at $163.88 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $161.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.56. The firm has a market cap of $33.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a P/E/G ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

About Hershey

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.