CORDA Investment Management LLC. Boosts Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

CORDA Investment Management LLC. grew its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 12.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 86,669 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,808 shares during the quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $14,677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $172.33 on Friday. 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 $34.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $160.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.50.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bernstein Bank reduced their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

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.