The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Dearborn Partners LLC

Dearborn Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,899 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 950 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $186.19 on Tuesday. 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 Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $161.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $176.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

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.