The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY

Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY decreased its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,825 shares of the company’s stock after selling 530 shares during the period. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 61.9% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 10.0% in the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 320,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,951,000 after purchasing an additional 29,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic lifted its position in Hershey by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,423,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.21.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $0.90 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $157.30. 2,652,466 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,856,595. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $31.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $156.10 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $185.42.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 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.