Vicus Capital Invests $264,000 in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Vicus Capital bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 1,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 125.3% in the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value of $274,395.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 35,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $859,950. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $179.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Argus dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Edward Jones reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $209.67.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $183.83 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $37.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $194.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $251.73.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

About Hershey

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.