Northcape Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Northcape Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 1,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $163.08 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $161.78 and a 200-day moving average of $178.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $33.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

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.