Clearstead Trust LLC Acquires 474 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,445 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,574,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 125.3% during the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,824.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $191.00 to $183.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Barclays increased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. BNP Paribas lowered Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Edward Jones reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $212.78.

Hershey Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE HSY traded up $2.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $197.92. 3,396,043 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,711,441. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.97. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $275.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $191.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $190.76. The company has a market cap of $40.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.33.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. The business had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.77%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.55%.

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.