Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Reduces Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. cut its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,434 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,037 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in 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 period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 4.5 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $152.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $165.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 43.24%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.06 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.60%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $167.10.

Hershey 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.