1,587 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Acquired by PUREfi Wealth LLC

PUREfi Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 11,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $445,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. now owns 42,322 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,167,000 after purchasing an additional 5,720 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 86,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,879,000 after purchasing an additional 4,596 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $157.99 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $31.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $162.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on HSY. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

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.