The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock Position Reduced by Lindbrook Capital LLC

Lindbrook Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 78.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 408 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,460 shares during the quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $76,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Alliance lifted its holdings in Hershey by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Reliant Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,173,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 94.7% during the 4th quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 17,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,237,000 after purchasing an additional 8,500 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Hershey by 91.4% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 91,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,111,000 after purchasing an additional 43,836 shares during the period. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,603,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $188.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $38.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $191.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $190.73. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $276.88.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.55%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,961,121.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,453 shares of company stock valued at $665,534 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Hershey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Edward Jones reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. BNP Paribas cut Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $223.33.

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.