Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Has $39.86 Million Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 235,365 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,762 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $39,859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 61.7% during 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 during the period. Finally, City State Bank raised its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 0.6 %

Hershey stock opened at $172.33 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $160.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.50. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on HSY. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently 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.