Guardian Asset Advisors LLC Sells 4,382 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Guardian Asset Advisors LLC lessened its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 49.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,526 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,382 shares during the period. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $766,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. now owns 2,072 shares of the company's stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the period. Ingalls & Snyder LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 2,438 shares of the company's stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Hershey by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 33,996 shares of the company's stock worth $5,757,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Guys Formula LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Guys Formula LLC now owns 4,070 shares of the company's stock valued at $689,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Advisors Inc. OK grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 2,105 shares of the company's stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Down 1.8 %

Hershey stock traded down $2.82 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $157.99. 1,449,913 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,139,031. 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 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of 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 given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.15.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey 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 value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.