The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Eukles Asset Management

Eukles Asset Management decreased its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,904 shares of the company’s stock after selling 813 shares during the period. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 30,461.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,130,000 after purchasing an additional 571,766 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 31.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 586,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,491,000 after buying an additional 139,831 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 2.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,476,000 after acquiring an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $154.98 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $164.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Bernstein Bank cut their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.35.

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.