Pathway Financial Advisers LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 937 shares of the company’s stock after selling 98 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $159,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank lifted its stake in Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bernstein Bank cut their price objective on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $160.92 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $163.10 and a 200 day moving average of $179.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $32.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.