The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Global Trust Asset Management LLC

Global Trust Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 27.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 425 shares during the period. Global Trust Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its position in Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in Hershey in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $181.26 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $36.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $192.81. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 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 business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Barclays reduced their price objective on Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Hershey from $179.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.55.

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.