CreativeOne Wealth LLC Sells 1,809 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

CreativeOne Wealth LLC lessened its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 21.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,501 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,809 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Hershey by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 238 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $1.50 on Tuesday, hitting $167.97. 112,208 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,783,025. The company has a market cap of $34.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.41, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.10. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Bernstein Bank decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $163.35.

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.