Texas Yale Capital Corp. grew its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY – Free Report) by 90.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 9,460 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,500 shares during the period. Texas Yale Capital Corp.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. DA Davidson dropped their target price on Hershey from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.06.
Hershey Stock Performance
Hershey stock opened at $194.19 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $154.37 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The company has a market cap of $39.39 billion, a PE ratio of 36.16, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.09. The company’s 50-day moving average is $197.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.66.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.
Hershey Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey
In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
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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