Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 1,222 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,349 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,222 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avestar Capital LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 1.0% during the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,563,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $921,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 5,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $506,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $171.67 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $162.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.14. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $34.75 billion, a PE ratio of 15.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.