Simplicity Wealth LLC Sells 2,442 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Simplicity Wealth LLC reduced its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 62.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,469 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,442 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $249,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on HSY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock opened at $186.19 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $161.83 and its 200-day moving average is $176.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $37.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

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.