Claro Advisors LLC Sells 2,200 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Claro Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 38.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,512 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the quarter. Claro Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $595,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp grew its position in Hershey by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after acquiring an additional 386,670 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,476,000 after buying an additional 109,336 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,606,000 after buying an additional 35,688 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,027,000 after buying an additional 29,507 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $157.30 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $173.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $185.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.83 billion, a PE ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $156.10 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group cut Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. 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, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.21.

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.