IHT Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 53.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,235 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,905 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $887,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased 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 acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
HSY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Finally, Bernstein Bank decreased their price objective 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $163.35.
View Our Latest Research Report on Hershey
Hershey Stock Down 0.5 %
HSY stock traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $163.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 981,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,783,201. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The company's fifty day moving average price is $169.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.
Hershey Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.
Insider Activity
In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.
Hershey Profile
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Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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