The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.

Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 19.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,342 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,494 shares during the quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,630,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, City State Bank increased its position in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Up 0.5 %

HSY stock opened at $163.88 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average of $161.29 and a 200-day moving average of $178.56.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Hershey

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 value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, 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 at this link. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays dropped their price objective 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, February 10th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price 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, DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

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.