EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 1,728 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 75.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 560 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,728 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $95,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. City State Bank increased its position in Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lowered their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.75.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $169.26 on Wednesday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $162.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.43. 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 $34.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Hershey’s payout ratio 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.