CoreFirst Bank & Trust Acquires Shares of 689 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $117,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth 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. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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 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 can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.67.

Hershey Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of HSY opened at $165.09 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $33.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.15, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $163.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $174.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results 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, equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 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.