The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd.

Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. lowered its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 92.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,929 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,811 shares during the quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $310,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of HSY opened at $156.68 on Tuesday. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $209.65. The company’s fifty day moving average is $166.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.54. The firm has a market cap of $31.71 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.07 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Citigroup cut their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $161.40.

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.