CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Sells 655 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA decreased its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 32.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,349 shares of the company’s stock after selling 655 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Hershey were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp increased its holdings 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 worth $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,476,000 after purchasing an additional 109,336 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,606,000 after purchasing an additional 35,688 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 valued at $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,027,000 after purchasing an additional 29,507 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.6 %

HSY opened at $157.30 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $173.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.24. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $156.10 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $31.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays cut their target price on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $182.21.

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.