Iowa State Bank Has $299,000 Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Iowa State Bank lowered its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,767 shares of the company’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Iowa State Bank’s holdings in Hershey were worth $299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Hershey by 123.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $184.61.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock traded down $1.00 during trading on Monday, reaching $168.03. 722,580 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 822,123. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $165.78 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $34.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $175.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $186.16.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

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.