US Bancorp DE Lowers Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

US Bancorp DE cut its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 403,599 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,808 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Hershey were worth $68,350,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth 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 period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, City State Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $172.68 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $160.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.17. The company has a market capitalization of $34.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results 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 anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 given 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 is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. 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. Finally, Bernstein Bank decreased their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.