Hopwood Financial Services Inc. Takes $135,000 Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $135,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Citigroup raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $179.55 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $162.04 and a 200-day moving average of $176.21. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $36.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

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.