Foundations Investment Advisors LLC Buys 247 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 22.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,367 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $262,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Hershey by 62.3% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 49,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,610,000 after acquiring an additional 18,968 shares during the period. Vicus Capital purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth $264,000. Founders Financial Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $467,000. Finally, D.B. Root & Company LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth $234,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $163.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.55.

Hershey Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $181.26 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $192.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $192.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.01 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.89%.

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.