Guardian Asset Advisors LLC Has $766,000 Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Guardian Asset Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 49.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,526 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,382 shares during the period. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $766,000 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 position in Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, City State Bank boosted its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.1 %

HSY stock opened at $158.13 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $32.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The business’s 50 day moving average is $163.10 and its 200-day moving average is $179.71.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HSY. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

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.