SPC Financial Inc. Sells 1,605 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

SPC Financial Inc. cut its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 34.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,605 shares during the period. SPC Financial Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Hershey by 10.9% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 33,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,134,000 after acquiring an additional 3,303 shares during the period. National Pension Service lifted its stake in Hershey by 4.7% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 456,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,465,000 after acquiring an additional 20,596 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 20.8% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 1,329 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter worth about $82,000. Finally, Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 22.5% in the third quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 3,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $679,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $176.99 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $161.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $176.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $35.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

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.