Soltis Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,028 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,311 shares during the quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in 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 last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, City State Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $154.98 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $164.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.46. The stock has a market cap of $31.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen cut their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.35.

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.