Portland Global Advisors LLC Grows Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Portland Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,275 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 251 shares during the period. Portland Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew 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 during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 0.4 %

HSY stock opened at $169.87 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $164.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $173.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 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 company has a market cap of $34.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

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.