Quadrant Capital Group LLC Sells 82 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Quadrant Capital Group LLC reduced its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,259 shares of the company’s stock after selling 82 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aviva PLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1,485.2% during the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 88,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,068,000 after purchasing an additional 83,363 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $9,446,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,000 after buying an additional 1,115 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. Finally, RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $208,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $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. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $158.93 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $166.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $171.94. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $32.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued 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 3.45%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Barclays dropped their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Bernstein Bank dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

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.