Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Sells 163 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 27.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 421 shares of the company’s stock after selling 163 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $71,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp grew its position in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 61.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on HSY. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays cut their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $185.11 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $161.48 and a 200-day moving average of $176.40. The stock has a market cap of $37.47 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.