The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Woodstock Corp

Woodstock Corp grew its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 34.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,896 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,780 shares during the quarter. Woodstock Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in Hershey by 10.4% during the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 647 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth $82,123,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Hershey by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 787,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,743,000 after acquiring an additional 25,780 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance grew its position in shares of Hershey by 163.6% in the second quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 2,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 1,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,777,000 after acquiring an additional 1,586 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $154.13 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $172.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $184.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $150.31 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $168.00 to $153.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.47.

Hershey Company 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.