Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. Cuts Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. lowered its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,883 shares of the company’s stock after selling 182 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 23.3% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Hershey by 1.6% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 4,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $792,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.0% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 6,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,152,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parthenon LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Parthenon LLC now owns 24,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,649,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $157.99 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $162.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $179.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price target 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

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.