3,375 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Acquired by Waterfront Wealth Inc.

Waterfront Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 3,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $629,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blair William & Co. IL grew its position in Hershey by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 30,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,665,000 after buying an additional 916 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $238,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 28.8% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 1.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,057,990 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,045,383,000 after purchasing an additional 216,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. lifted its position in Hershey by 10.8% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 32,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,972,000 after purchasing an additional 3,129 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $0.40 on Thursday, hitting $182.85. 88,540 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,966,379. 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 Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $276.88. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $192.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $191.11. The company has a market cap of $37.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.07. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The firm had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 60.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley downgraded Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $191.00 to $183.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Hershey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $223.33.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total transaction of $396,170.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 14,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,833,624.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total transaction of $396,170.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,833,624.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total transaction of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,121.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,518 shares of company stock worth $1,066,414. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.