44 Wealth Management LLC Sells 874 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

44 Wealth Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,387 shares of the company’s stock after selling 874 shares during the period. Hershey accounts for about 1.1% of 44 Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. 44 Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,775,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its stake in Hershey by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of several analyst reports. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s 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 directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 4.2 %

HSY opened at $173.03 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $160.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.87, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

About Hershey

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.