Modera Wealth Management LLC Sells 291 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Modera Wealth Management LLC reduced its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,854 shares of the company’s stock after selling 291 shares during the quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $73,000. Hickory Point Bank & Trust bought a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $439,000. Jacobi Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 27.4% in the fourth quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,034,000 after buying an additional 1,311 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 12,170 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,061,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $236,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, 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 accessible through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $178.77 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $160.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (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%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

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.