Quantbot Technologies LP Sells 19,204 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Quantbot Technologies LP decreased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 66.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,751 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,204 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A boosted its holdings in Hershey by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.0% during the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,151 shares of the company's stock worth $1,563,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company's stock worth $921,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 5,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $973,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Hershey Stock Up 1.3 %

HSY traded up $2.27 on Thursday, hitting $170.79. 754,862 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,743,065. The stock's fifty day moving average is $163.69 and its 200-day moving average is $174.28. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. 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 has a market cap of $34.57 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $162.50.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey 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 transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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.