Physicians Financial Services Inc. Has $1.81 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Physicians Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,668 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Physicians Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,807,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, City State Bank grew its position 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $166.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $33.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a P/E/G ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $161.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.46. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Equities 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 given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

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.