Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $1.89 Million Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 34.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,179 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,841 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,893,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position 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 buying an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased 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 acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock opened at $170.51 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $34.51 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The business has a 50 day moving average of $162.22 and a 200-day moving average of $175.60. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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 note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.75.

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.