Haverford Trust Co Decreases Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Haverford Trust Co decreased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,855 shares of the company’s stock after selling 184 shares during the quarter. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $168.30 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.07 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $162.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.59. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. 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. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.