US Bancorp DE Lowers Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

US Bancorp DE decreased its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 403,599 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,808 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE owned approximately 0.20% of Hershey worth $68,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third 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 boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company's stock worth $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bernstein Bank cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.15.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company'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 in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Up 2.5 %

HSY stock traded up $4.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $177.05. 763,347 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,813,511. The stock has a market cap of $35.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.26, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. 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 Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $160.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.00.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

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.