Mengis Capital Management Inc. Has $4.58 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Mengis Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 27,065 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the quarter. Hershey comprises 0.9% of Mengis Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Mengis Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased 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 valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, City State Bank lifted 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 buying an additional 210 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HSY. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $178.12 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $160.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.74. The company has a market cap of $36.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.34, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.