The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV

Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV reduced its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 21.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 762 shares of the company’s stock after selling 207 shares during the quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV’s holdings in Hershey were worth $129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 24,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,645,000 after purchasing an additional 3,311 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Hershey by 1.4% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 11,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,232,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,337,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Commerce Bank increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 31.9% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 9,436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,810,000 after acquiring an additional 2,281 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $164.33 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $162.43 and a two-hundred day moving average 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 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 cap of $33.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued 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 issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $163.75.

Hershey 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.