W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co Trims Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co reduced its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 32,774 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,464 shares during the period. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co’s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp lifted its position in Hershey by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in Hershey by 61.9% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 4.2 %

Hershey stock opened at $173.03 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $160.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.87, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Barclays cut their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bernstein Bank lowered their target price on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

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.