Hickory Point Bank & Trust Sells 95 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hickory Point Bank & Trust decreased its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,499 shares of the company’s stock after selling 95 shares during the period. Hickory Point Bank & Trust’s holdings in Hershey were worth $427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $1,939,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $671,000 after buying an additional 1,483 shares during the period. DJE Kapital AG purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,040,000. Beacon Financial Group bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $367,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $785,003,000 after buying an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho dropped their price target on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were 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 $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $161.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $163.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.07 EPS. Hershey’s revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

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.