Heartland Advisors Inc. Trims Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Heartland Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 23.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 77,906 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,848 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $13,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avestar Capital LLC raised its position in Hershey by 6.0% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A lifted its stake in Hershey by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $939,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its position 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 in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $170.79 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $163.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.57 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data 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, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Hershey in a research note on Monday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $183.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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