Florida Financial Advisors LLC Grows Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Florida Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 23.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,129 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 775 shares during the quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $699,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. 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. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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 owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $168.30 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $162.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $174.59. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $34.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts predict 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 was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.