The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stake Increased by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 147.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,092 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 651 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Hershey in the third quarter worth about $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 125.3% in the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock traded up $2.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $197.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,396,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,711,441. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $275.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $191.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $190.72. The company has a market capitalization of $40.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.33.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HSY. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Edward Jones reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, April 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $212.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 38,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,824.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.