Lantz Financial LLC Decreases Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Lantz Financial LLC lessened its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,749 shares of the company’s stock after selling 74 shares during the quarter. Lantz Financial LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Hershey by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,110,126,000 after acquiring an additional 2,980,997 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $785,003,000 after acquiring an additional 247,675 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,139,000 after acquiring an additional 47,394 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,396,000 after acquiring an additional 154,238 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $160.65 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $163.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $166.36. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.07 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 67.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target 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. Bernstein Bank decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey 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.