The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp grew its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,500 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised 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 worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $168.44 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $163.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.30. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $34.09 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s 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 directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.