Wedbush Securities Inc. Sells 3,532 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Wedbush Securities Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 36.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,149 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,532 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,041,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp grew its stake 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 buying an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,939,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $671,000 after acquiring an additional 1,483 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company's stock worth $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HSY. Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $183.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $162.50.

Hershey Stock Up 0.9 %

HSY traded up $1.47 during trading on Friday, reaching $165.56. The stock had a trading volume of 1,233,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,800,625. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $33.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $167.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Hershey 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.