Beacon Financial Group Makes New Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Beacon Financial Group bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $367,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, City State Bank grew its stake in Hershey by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $158.13 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.86. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey 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.