Dean Investment Associates LLC Has $5.13 Million Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Dean Investment Associates LLC lowered its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 16.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,313 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,090 shares during the quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $5,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted 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 acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded up $1.32 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $167.79. The stock had a trading volume of 264,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,783,646. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.96 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.10. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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, equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Piper Sandler cut shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $159.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $163.35.

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.