The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Position Lessened by Howard Bailey Securities LLC

Howard Bailey Securities LLC reduced its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 23.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,617 shares of the company’s stock after selling 504 shares during the quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, City State Bank grew its position in Hershey by 210.0% in 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 last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. TD Cowen cut their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Down 0.1 %

HSY opened at $158.13 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $32.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $163.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.86.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s 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 directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.