Crew Capital Management Ltd. Raises Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Crew Capital Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 18.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,226 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 979 shares during the period. Crew Capital Management Ltd.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,054,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during 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. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth about $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City State Bank grew its position in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HSY. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho lowered their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bernstein Bank lowered their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $176.33 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $160.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $176.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.