EntryPoint Capital LLC Buys 281 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 281.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 381 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $74,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 25.3% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 85,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,862,000 after acquiring an additional 17,197 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 93.4% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 28,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,325,000 after purchasing an additional 13,795 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $376,000. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 45.4% in the fourth quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 623 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in Hershey by 212.8% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 3,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $693,000 after buying an additional 2,528 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Up 0.4 %

Hershey stock opened at $193.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.14 billion, a PE ratio of 19.18, a PEG ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 0.36. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $238.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $190.58 and its 200 day moving average is $192.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. The business’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 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total transaction of $274,395.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,535,723.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $867,450. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on HSY. Edward Jones reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, April 19th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Hershey from $204.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $179.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, June 21st. Bank of America reduced their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.89.

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.