Stephens Inc. AR Boosts Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 278.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 36,110 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,581 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,115,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp raised its stake in Hershey by 5.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $841,476,000 after purchasing an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,606,000 after purchasing an additional 35,688 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in Hershey by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $185,027,000 after purchasing an additional 29,507 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays decreased their target price on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler cut shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bernstein Bank lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.35.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $154.98 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $164.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.46. The stock has a market cap of $31.36 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted 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 net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Hershey 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.