The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Heritage Investors Management Corp

Heritage Investors Management Corp increased its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 26,758 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,855 shares during the period. Heritage Investors Management Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,989,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth about $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 125.3% in the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $200.08. The company had a trading volume of 1,470,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,984,141. The stock has a market cap of $40.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.83, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $192.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $190.97. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $275.62.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 38,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,196,824.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Edward Jones reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, April 19th. Morgan Stanley cut Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $183.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $213.06.

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.