The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Oxler Private Wealth LLC

Oxler Private Wealth LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,037 shares of the company’s stock after selling 293 shares during the quarter. Oxler Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $853,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 5.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 109,336 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Hershey by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,606,000 after acquiring an additional 35,688 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,027,000 after purchasing an additional 29,507 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 1.9 %

HSY stock opened at $149.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $147.60 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $167.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.29.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Piper Sandler cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $170.05.

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.