Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Has $1.63 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC cut its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 30.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,636 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,210 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,632,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised 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 worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City State Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Bernstein Bank dropped their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $158.13 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.86. The company has a market cap of $32.00 billion, a PE ratio of 14.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.