Oakworth Capital Inc. Sells 76 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Oakworth Capital Inc. lowered its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,033 shares of the company’s stock after selling 76 shares during the quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $145.96 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a 50 day moving average of $165.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $181.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $29.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 43.24%. As a group, analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Bernstein Bank cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% 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.