Carderock Capital Management Inc. Sells 1,582 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Carderock Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,816 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,582 shares during the quarter. Carderock Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,186,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares in the last quarter. Pensionfund Sabic increased its position in shares of Hershey by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,423,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Finally, Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $654,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 0.8 %

Hershey stock opened at $152.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $30.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $150.31 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.39.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $176.42.

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.