20,503 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Bought by Signature Wealth Management Group

Signature Wealth Management Group bought a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 20,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,472,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $170.32 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 stock has a market cap of $34.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.63, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $162.15 and a 200-day moving average of $175.86. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.