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

CORDA Investment Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,669 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,808 shares during the period. CORDA Investment Management LLC.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $14,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm's 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY traded up $6.06 during trading on Monday, hitting $178.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,790,098 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,817,453. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $160.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.00. 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 firm has a market cap of $36.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 given 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 3.07%. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. 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. Mizuho reduced their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Five research 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.