Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Purchases 132 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 17,003 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 132 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,879,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $82,000. Cibc World Markets Corp increased its position in shares of Hershey by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 57,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,817,000 after purchasing an additional 7,654 shares during the last quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 6,881 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,165,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,472,000. Finally, Glenview Trust co grew its stake in Hershey by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $803,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup raised 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. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $169.26 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $34.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.53, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $162.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

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.