SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Invests $73,000 in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,000.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of 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 reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. 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 a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Up 1.6 %

NYSE HSY opened at $179.87 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $161.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.78. 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 Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $36.41 billion, a PE ratio of 16.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.