Savant Capital LLC Sells 1,800 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Savant Capital LLC decreased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 19.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,582 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,800 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company's stock worth $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company's stock worth $841,476,000 after acquiring an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $717,606,000 after acquiring an additional 35,688 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in 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 last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company's stock worth $185,027,000 after purchasing an additional 29,507 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

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

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded down $2.82 during trading on Monday, hitting $157.99. 1,449,913 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,139,031. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $162.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $179.11. The company has a market cap of $31.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week 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 0.54.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bernstein Bank reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $164.15.

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.