Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lowered its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 19.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,050 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,973 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Hershey worth $17,282,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, City State Bank increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. 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 an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $176.33 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $160.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $176.75. The company has a market capitalization of $35.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.18, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued 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 research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

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.