The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Portfolio Design Labs LLC

Portfolio Design Labs LLC raised its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 23.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,905 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,246 shares during the quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,016,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $158.34 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $32.04 billion, a PE ratio of 14.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $180.11. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Piper Sandler cut shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.05.

About Hershey

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.