Northstar Group Inc. Sells 107 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Northstar Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,132 shares of the company’s stock after selling 107 shares during the period. Northstar Group Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $361,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Hershey by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 30,082 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,769,000 after buying an additional 1,952 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth $235,000. Brookstone Capital Management lifted its stake in Hershey by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 10,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its position in shares of Hershey by 5.7% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 5.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 15,212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,917,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. 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. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Trading Up 1.7 %

HSY opened at $154.98 on Friday. 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 $31.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.85, a PEG ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $164.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 43.24% and a net margin of 16.17%. Analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

About Hershey

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.