The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by CWA Asset Management Group LLC

CWA Asset Management Group LLC decreased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,611 shares of the company’s stock after selling 138 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 55.0% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 123.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group cut Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.21.

Hershey Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $162.51 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $159.87 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.