The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Lifeworks Advisors LLC

Lifeworks Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 76.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,812 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,222 shares during the quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Parthenon LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 0.3% during the third quarter. Parthenon LLC now owns 24,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,649,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,563,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 5,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $185.11 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $37.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $161.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.54.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HSY. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays decreased their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Five research 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, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

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.