SNS Financial Group LLC Sells 660 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

SNS Financial Group LLC trimmed its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,622 shares of the company’s stock after selling 660 shares during the quarter. SNS Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $952,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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 during the third quarter worth approximately $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp increased its stake in Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 61.9% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $163.88 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $33.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $161.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.56. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

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.