First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 324 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,815 shares of the company’s stock after selling 324 shares during the quarter. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $1,939,000. Tevis Investment Management acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $653,000. Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in Hershey by 278.9% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 36,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,115,000 after purchasing an additional 26,581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 28,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,757,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on HSY. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.05.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $154.52 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $164.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.38. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $31.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.