Xponance Inc. Sells 104 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Xponance Inc. cut its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,837 shares of the company’s stock after selling 104 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,698,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 135.7% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 26,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,493,000 after acquiring an additional 15,273 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $1,509,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 31,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,254,000 after buying an additional 2,937 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,879,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Bernstein Bank reduced their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $163.75.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $164.33 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $162.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $175.30. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $33.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.