Select Asset Management & Trust Has $746,000 Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Select Asset Management & Trust raised its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 252.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,403 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,153 shares during the quarter. Select Asset Management & Trust's holdings in Hershey were worth $746,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its position in Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A lifted its holdings in Hershey by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $939,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Hershey by 42.5% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 238 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company's stock worth $921,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $2.72 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $163.88. 760,765 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,782,152. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $169.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $170.06.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $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 available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price target for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Hershey from $159.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $163.35.

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.