Terril Brothers Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Terril Brothers Inc. cut its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,946 shares of the company’s stock after selling 140 shares during the quarter. Hershey makes up approximately 1.7% of Terril Brothers Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Terril Brothers Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,770,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $349,448,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in Hershey by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 296,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,218,000 after purchasing an additional 30,789 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $378,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock worth $667,793. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $200.81 on Tuesday. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $213.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $195.43 and its 200-day moving average is $193.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on HSY. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $179.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.21.

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.