The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,500 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $762,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Up 1.9 %

HSY stock opened at $168.44 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $163.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.30. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. 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 stock has a market cap of $34.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

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.