Pollock Investment Advisors LLC Invests $974,000 in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Pollock Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 5,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $974,000. Hershey comprises about 0.8% of Pollock Investment Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HSY. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp increased its position in Hershey by 34.8% in the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,939,000. Finally, Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company's stock worth $671,000 after acquiring an additional 1,483 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on HSY. Mizuho cut their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson reduced their target price 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. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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. Finally, Barclays dropped 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $163.75.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded down $3.02 on Thursday, reaching $164.33. The company had a trading volume of 1,696,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,751,309. 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 company's fifty day moving average is $162.39 and its 200 day moving average is $175.37. The company has a market cap of $33.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

About Hershey

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.