Ancora Advisors LLC Sells 3,014 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Ancora Advisors LLC decreased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 12.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,812 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,014 shares during the quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $3,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 902.9% during the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 34,138 shares of the company's stock worth $5,781,000 after purchasing an additional 30,734 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. raised its position in Hershey by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 57,120 shares of the company's stock worth $9,673,000 after acquiring an additional 8,537 shares in the last quarter. Allegheny Financial Group lifted its stake in Hershey by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Allegheny Financial Group now owns 7,999 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,355,000 after acquiring an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $268,000. Finally, DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP now owns 8,424 shares of the company's stock worth $1,427,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded down $1.13 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $168.88. 2,195,273 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,771,746. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $168.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.66. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $34.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.49, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.07 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Bernstein Bank lowered their target price on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $161.40.

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.