Abundance Wealth Counselors Sells 148 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Abundance Wealth Counselors trimmed its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,360 shares of the company’s stock after selling 148 shares during the period. Abundance Wealth Counselors’ holdings in Hershey were worth $230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Hershey by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 16,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,060,000 after buying an additional 1,328 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its position in Hershey by 123.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 42.3% in the second quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Hershey by 8.1% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 85,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,661,000 after purchasing an additional 6,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,031,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $170.05.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $149.19 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.19, a PEG ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $166.93 and its 200-day moving average is $182.01. 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 12 month low of $147.60 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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