Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC Acquires 932 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 13.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,975 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 932 shares during the quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th 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. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, City State Bank lifted its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $166.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a P/E/G ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $161.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

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.