Sigma Planning Corp Sells 1,389 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Sigma Planning Corp reduced its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 43.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,822 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,389 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA increased its holdings in Hershey by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 14,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,853,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 5,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,052,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $186.16 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $276.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $37.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.34. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $190.62.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.07. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.02 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 60.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on HSY shares. Edward Jones reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, April 19th. BNP Paribas cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Hershey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $223.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,121.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total transaction of $296,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 40,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,961,121.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,453 shares of company stock worth $665,534. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.