Independent Advisor Alliance Sells 10,652 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Independent Advisor Alliance cut its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 26.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,517 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,652 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,999,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Down 3.7 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $179.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.47, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $162.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $176.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS 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 given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Hershey 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.