The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Position Cut by Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.

Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. lowered its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,883 shares of the company’s stock after selling 182 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 1.8 %

HSY stock opened at $157.99 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $162.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (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, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

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.