The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Ledyard National Bank

Ledyard National Bank lessened its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,869 shares of the company’s stock after selling 310 shares during the quarter. Ledyard National Bank’s holdings in Hershey were worth $348,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA raised its holdings 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. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 5,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,052,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.4% in 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. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 737 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. BNP Paribas cut Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $212.78.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $4.96 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $197.43. 1,584,585 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,953,171. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $276.88. The firm has a market cap of $40.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.77, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $191.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $190.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.07. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 60.55%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 38,728 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,824.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $369,681.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,453 shares of company stock worth $665,534. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.