EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 1,728 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 75.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 560 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,728 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $95,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $54,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on HSY. Barclays cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Bernstein Bank decreased their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $163.75.

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Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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 directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY traded up $2.91 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $167.38. The stock had a trading volume of 3,046,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,751,028. The stock has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $162.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.12.

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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

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.