Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Purchases 2,591 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 16.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,297 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,591 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,100,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp raised its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during 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 in the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Hershey by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $166.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $33.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $168.78 and its 200 day moving average is $170.58.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on HSY shares. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $159.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler downgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $163.35.

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.