Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. Acquires 85 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,987 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HSY. Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 24,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,645,000 after acquiring an additional 3,311 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,337,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Commerce Bank raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 31.9% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 9,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,810,000 after acquiring an additional 2,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 168,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,376,000 after acquiring an additional 2,404 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents 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 at this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bernstein Bank dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.75.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $167.38 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $162.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $175.12. 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 $33.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.36, 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 quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

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.