Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Sells 400 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System trimmed its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 400 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 23.3% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in Hershey by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 4,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $792,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 6,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,152,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Parthenon LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Parthenon LLC now owns 24,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,649,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $157.99 on Monday. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $162.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the 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 owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Piper Sandler cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey Company 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.