Ledyard National Bank Has $600,000 Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Ledyard National Bank raised its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 140.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,127 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,824 shares during the period. Ledyard National Bank’s holdings in Hershey were worth $600,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $183.47 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $193.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $37.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.18, a P/E/G ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on HSY. Bank of America decreased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $193.50.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.