1,457 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Acquired by Compass Capital Corp MA ADV

Compass Capital Corp MA ADV purchased a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,457 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $247,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 31.4% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 107.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 17,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,377,000 after acquiring an additional 9,129 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 22.1% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 5.8% in the third quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 31,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,123,000 after acquiring an additional 1,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Busey Bank grew its holdings in Hershey by 13.6% in the third quarter. Busey Bank now owns 5,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,036,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen lowered 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. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $173.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $160.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87, a P/E/G ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.