Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Shares Down 3.1% – Should You Sell?

Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) dropped 3.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $150.31 and last traded at $150.53. Approximately 2,260,824 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 17% from the average daily volume of 1,934,763 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.31.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group cut Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $182.21.

Hershey Stock Down 2.3 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $173.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $185.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in 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 during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Finally, City State Bank lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 210 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Hershey

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.