The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Sage Capital Advisors llc

Sage Capital Advisors llc lessened its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,370 shares of the company’s stock after selling 929 shares during the period. Sage Capital Advisors llc’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,942,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 3.5% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 99,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,207,000 after buying an additional 3,379 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 151.1% during the 2nd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $625,000 after acquiring an additional 2,047 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 2,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $686,000. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.9% during the second quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 91,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,879,000 after purchasing an additional 1,671 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $182.21.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $3.54 during trading on Friday, reaching $158.68. The company had a trading volume of 986,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,370,901. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.11 billion, a PE ratio of 18.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $158.50 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $174.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.61.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

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.