Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Boosts Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,994 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $561,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,273,000. Crew Capital Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 6,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,054,000 after purchasing an additional 979 shares in the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its holdings in Hershey by 36.4% in the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 3,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $785,003,000 after acquiring an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $185.11 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $37.47 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $161.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $176.69.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

Hershey 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.