Colonial Trust Co SC Has $2.41 Million Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Colonial Trust Co SC lowered its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,251 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,545 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC's holdings in Hershey were worth $2,413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp increased its stake in Hershey by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,939,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 86.9% in the 4th quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 4,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $810,000 after purchasing an additional 2,223 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bernstein Bank lowered their target price on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $161.40.

Hershey Stock Up 2.0 %

HSY stock opened at $170.01 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.60, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $168.56 and a 200-day moving average of $168.66.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.07 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

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.

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