Blair William & Co. IL Raises Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 39,387 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,365 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,670,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $169.87 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The business has a fifty day moving average of $164.03 and a 200 day moving average of $173.67.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group lowered their price target on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.50.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate 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.