Praxis Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY – Free Report) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 4,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $786,000. Hershey makes up about 2.8% of Praxis Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Connors Investor Services Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc. now owns 1,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its stake in Hershey by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 146,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,748,000 after buying an additional 1,456 shares during the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $230,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Hershey by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 11,129 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,026,000 after buying an additional 699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $2,744,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages recently weighed in on HSY. UBS Group dropped their target price on Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. TD Cowen upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $217.78.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,859,600. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Hershey Stock Performance
NYSE HSY opened at $194.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.25, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.07. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $152.21 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $199.60 and a 200 day moving average of $197.49.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Hershey Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.19%.
About Hershey
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.
Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.
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