CORDA Investment Management LLC. Buys 9,808 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

CORDA Investment Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 86,669 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,808 shares during the quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $14,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its position in shares of Hershey by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 45,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,864,000 after buying an additional 8,134 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 2.7% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 43,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,274,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 7.0% in the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 2,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth $227,000. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $172.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The business has a 50 day moving average of $160.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.50. The company has a market capitalization of $34.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted 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, analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.