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

Pathway Financial Advisers LLC reduced its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $160.92 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.54 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $163.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.71. The company has a market capitalization of $32.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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.