Enhancing Capital LLC Purchases Shares of 2,346 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Enhancing Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $397,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE HSY opened at $169.26 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $162.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $34.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.53, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on HSY. Bernstein Bank lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $163.75.

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.