Harbour Investments Inc. Has $882,000 Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Harbour Investments Inc. lessened its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,209 shares of the company’s stock after selling 476 shares during the quarter. Harbour Investments Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $882,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 36.7% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 17,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,919,000 after buying an additional 4,630 shares in the last quarter. Pollock Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $974,000. one8zero8 LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $541,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,713,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bernstein Bank cut their target price on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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 given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.75.

Hershey Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $167.67 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $33.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.38, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $162.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.37. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

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.