Tradewinds LLC. Makes New $285,000 Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Tradewinds LLC. bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $356,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 19.5% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 260,554 shares of the company's stock worth $44,125,000 after buying an additional 42,499 shares during the last quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 30.1% in the 4th quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 37,986 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,433,000 after acquiring an additional 8,779 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Hershey by 55.7% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 264,267 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,754,000 after acquiring an additional 94,539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, St. James Investment Company LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,999,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note 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 for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $183.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $162.50.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $4.71 on Friday, hitting $162.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,504,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,793,517. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $165.54 and a 200-day moving average of $172.69. The company has a market capitalization of $32.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

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.