Ossiam Sells 9,146 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Ossiam reduced its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 58.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,444 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,146 shares during the quarter. Ossiam's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bernstein Bank dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $163.35.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $163.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 981,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,783,201. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $169.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.48. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.