Smith Moore & CO. Has $992,000 Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Smith Moore & CO. lowered its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,856 shares of the company’s stock after selling 528 shares during the period. Smith Moore & CO.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $992,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $795,000 after buying an additional 1,115 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $221,000. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. OV Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. OV Management LLC now owns 8,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 739 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $162.12 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. 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 firm has a market cap of $32.81 billion, a PE ratio of 14.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $165.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $172.88.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on HSY. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.