The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers cut its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 319,154 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,086 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Hershey were worth $54,049,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp increased its holdings in Hershey by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 61.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on HSY. Bernstein Bank lowered their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $157.99 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $31.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.24. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.