BSW Wealth Partners Sells 594 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

BSW Wealth Partners trimmed its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 32.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,214 shares of the company’s stock after selling 594 shares during the quarter. BSW Wealth Partners’ holdings in Hershey were worth $206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 64.3% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 5,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,140 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its position in Hershey by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 63,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,587,000 after buying an additional 7,382 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 16,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,060,000 after buying an additional 1,328 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 19.4% during the second quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 984 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 123.9% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.79.

Hershey Stock Down 0.2 %

HSY stock opened at $149.41 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $168.39 and a 200-day moving average of $182.73. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $147.60 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G 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.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.