Fiduciary Financial Group LLC Purchases 77 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Fiduciary Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,145 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $566,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $185.98 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $37.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43, a PEG ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $195.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $193.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.86. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.01 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Argus cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Bank of America cut their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $179.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $197.90.

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.