Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Lowers Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 353,845 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,725 shares during the period. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.17% of Hershey worth $59,924,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $169.87 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $34.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $164.03 and its 200 day moving average is $173.84.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the 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 owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays reduced their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.50.

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.