The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Hamel Associates Inc.

Hamel Associates Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 82.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,035 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,068 shares during the period. Hamel Associates Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 2,372 shares of the company's stock valued at $455,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 23.0% during the third quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,234 shares of the company's stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 8.7% in the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 4,393 shares of the company's stock worth $842,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its holdings in Hershey by 31.2% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 2,298 shares of the company's stock valued at $428,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Hershey

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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bernstein Bank lowered their price objective on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup raised Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $176.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,185,884 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,814,155. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $176.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.83 billion, a PE ratio of 16.24, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS 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 $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.