The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Dearborn Partners LLC

Dearborn Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,899 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,079,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $931,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 19,349 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,277,000 after purchasing an additional 1,222 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in Hershey by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 56,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,542,000 after purchasing an additional 5,079 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its position in Hershey by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,758,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

Hershey Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $186.19 on Tuesday. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $37.69 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The business’s fifty day moving average is $161.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.