44 Wealth Management LLC Has $2.78 Million Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

44 Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 16,387 shares of the company’s stock after selling 874 shares during the period. Hershey makes up 1.1% of 44 Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. 44 Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,775,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Kennon Green & Company LLC raised its position in Hershey by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. Kennon Green & Company LLC now owns 32,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,481,000 after purchasing an additional 5,585 shares in the last quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. now owns 10,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,807,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Compass Capital Corp MA ADV acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $247,000. Waterfront Wealth Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 5,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in Hershey by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 93,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,835,000 after purchasing an additional 17,092 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group decreased 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. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $173.03 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $160.67 and a 200-day moving average of $178.37. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $35.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.