Fiduciary Trust Co Reduces Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Fiduciary Trust Co decreased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 22,951 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,006 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,887,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $171.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $168.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.48. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.07 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bernstein Bank dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $161.40.

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.