The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 360,395 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,413 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $61,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on HSY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. 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. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.35.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $154.98 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The business has a fifty day moving average of $164.38 and a 200-day moving average of $180.46. The stock has a market cap of $31.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

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.