Pittenger & Anderson Inc. Sells 1,006 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lessened its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,724 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,006 shares during the period. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,494,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at 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 acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised 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 purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $157.99 on Monday. The company 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $162.49 and a 200-day moving average of $179.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on HSY. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Bernstein Bank lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.