Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Sells 14,762 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC cut its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 235,365 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,762 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Hershey worth $39,859,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted 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 worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, City State Bank lifted its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $172.33 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $34.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $160.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.50.

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 net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.