The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Position Decreased by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB cut its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 114,492 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,940 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Hershey were worth $19,389,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th 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. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted 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 worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, City State Bank grew its position in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE HSY opened at $154.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $164.81 and a 200-day moving average of $180.78.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Bernstein Bank dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.35.

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.