Mizuho Securities USA LLC Has $2.37 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 46.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,002 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,426 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,371,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, City State Bank increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group cut their price target on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.67.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $168.30 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $34.07 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $162.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $174.59. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 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.