Bellecapital International Ltd. Trims Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bellecapital International Ltd. reduced its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 27.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,695 shares of the company’s stock after selling 627 shares during the period. Bellecapital International Ltd.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Hershey by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 4,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $792,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC raised its position in Hershey by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Parthenon LLC raised its position in Hershey by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Parthenon LLC now owns 24,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,649,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,563,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $172.68 on Monday. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $34.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $160.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $177.00. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bernstein Bank cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

About Hershey

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.