The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock Position Raised by AFT Forsyth & Company Inc.

AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 17.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,072 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 307 shares during the quarter. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $351,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, City State Bank boosted its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.1 %

Hershey stock opened at $158.13 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $32.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $163.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $179.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.