Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC Grows Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,039 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 177 shares during the quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 2.8 %

NYSE HSY opened at $185.11 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $37.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $161.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.40. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Bernstein Bank reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

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.