The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Bath Savings Trust Co

Bath Savings Trust Co decreased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 19.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,299 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,205 shares during the period. Bath Savings Trust Co’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,575,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Hershey by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,127,000 after purchasing an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,476,000 after acquiring an additional 109,336 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,606,000 after buying an additional 35,688 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,027,000 after purchasing an additional 29,507 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $184.06.

Hershey Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of HSY traded down $1.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $165.59. 477,168 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 905,655. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $33.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $175.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $186.05. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $165.50 and a 12-month high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Hershey 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.