Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. Cuts Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. decreased its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,877 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,289 shares during the period. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,689,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $176.42.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $152.82 on Tuesday. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $150.31 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.92 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $171.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $184.39.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

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.