The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc.

Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. trimmed its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 40,429 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,376 shares during the period. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,847,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. State Street Corp raised its stake in Hershey by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after purchasing an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 2.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 109,336 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the third 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. increased its stake in Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 29,507 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HSY. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.85.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related 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 value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $152.43 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $165.24 and a 200-day moving average of $180.97. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

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.