The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Holdings Lifted by Allworth Financial LP

Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 129.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,122 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,022 shares during the quarter. Allworth Financial LP's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, City State Bank grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY traded up $6.93 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $173.03. The company had a trading volume of 4,114,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,923,143. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.21. The firm has a market cap of $35.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.