Hills Bank & Trust Co Sells 156 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hills Bank & Trust Co lessened its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 13.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,014 shares of the company’s stock after selling 156 shares during the period. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Hershey were worth $189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA increased its position in Hershey by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.1% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 5,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 5,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total value of $278,745.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 38,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,824.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Edward Jones reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Hershey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $213.06.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1 %

HSY stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $200.08. 1,470,935 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,984,141. The firm has a market cap of $40.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.33. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $275.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $192.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $190.97.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. The business had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

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.