The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock Holdings Decreased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 38.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,544 shares of the company’s stock after selling 36,029 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank grew its position in Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $163.75.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $164.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $33.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $162.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $175.30. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.