Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Has $2.49 Million Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 30.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,300 shares during the quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, City State Bank boosted its stake in Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $163.88 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $161.29 and a 200-day moving average of $178.56. The company has a market cap of $33.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.04, a P/E/G ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.