Toth Financial Advisory Corp Trims Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Toth Financial Advisory Corp reduced its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 17.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,683 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,038 shares during the quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,640,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on HSY shares. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Hershey from $168.00 to $153.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.79.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $150.54 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 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 Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $147.60 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $169.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $183.26.

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 issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend 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.