Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Has $1.63 Million Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC decreased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 30.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,636 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,210 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,632,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Hershey by 24.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,836 shares of the company's stock worth $1,886,000 after purchasing an additional 1,927 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 7,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,427,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,550 shares of the company's stock valued at $489,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 135,898 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,063,000 after buying an additional 4,124 shares during the period. Finally, Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,725 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,673,000 after buying an additional 1,646 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Bernstein Bank decreased their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.15.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related 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 owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded down $2.82 on Friday, hitting $157.99. 1,449,913 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,139,031. The company's 50 day moving average price is $162.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.24. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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