Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 194,068 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 73.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 69,065 shares of the company’s stock after selling 194,068 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $11,696,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.9% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $185.11 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $161.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $176.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction 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 approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson cut their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

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.