1,205 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Acquired by D.B. Root & Company LLC

D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC grew 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 period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1 %

Hershey stock opened at $183.83 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $194.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a PEG ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.97. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $251.73.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. The company had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Argus reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, March 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Edward Jones reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $179.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $209.67.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value of $274,395.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $859,950. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.