The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by PFG Advisors

PFG Advisors trimmed its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 74.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,487 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,323 shares during the period. PFG Advisors' holdings in Hershey were worth $252,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at about $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,939,000. Finally, Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 1,483 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $163.75.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $1.75 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $167.67. 1,695,946 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,754,891. The firm has a market cap of $33.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.38, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $175.43. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.