Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC Sells 68 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 872 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68 shares during the quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $148,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth $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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $182.21.

Hershey Stock Down 2.9 %

HSY stock traded down $4.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $157.52. 2,358,437 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,541,569. The stock has a market cap of $31.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.15, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $174.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $185.61. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $156.10 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 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.