The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lowered its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 34.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,179 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,841 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. City State Bank grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Bernstein Bank lowered their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $163.75.

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Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded up $2.91 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $167.38. The company had a trading volume of 3,035,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,076,821. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $162.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.30. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

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.