Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. Purchases Shares of 1,887 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $320,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew 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 buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $170.79 on Friday. 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 Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $34.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $163.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.28.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price objective 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.50.

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.