The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by New York Life Investment Management LLC

New York Life Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,004 shares of the company’s stock after selling 391 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,726,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $172.68 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.17. 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 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $34.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.84, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey 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 transaction of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.