Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. Trims Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,467 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,592 shares during the quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,482,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $0.75 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $178.59. 2,732,850 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,123,412. 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 $160.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.58. The firm has a market cap of $36.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bernstein Bank decreased their price objective on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup raised Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate 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.