LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI Cuts Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI trimmed its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 63.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,315 shares of the company’s stock after selling 38,435 shares during the period. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,779,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter worth $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised 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 valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of Hershey stock traded down $3.54 during trading on Friday, hitting $158.68. 986,402 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,370,901. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $174.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $185.61. The firm has a market cap of $32.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $158.50 and a 52-week high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Barclays decreased their price objective on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.21.

About Hershey

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.