Mather Group LLC. Has $85,000 Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 26.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 502 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the quarter. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $85,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth $25,000. 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 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 worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its stake in Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays decreased their target price on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.35.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $154.98 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.85, a PEG ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The business has a 50-day moving average of $164.81 and a 200-day moving average of $180.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 43.24% and a net margin of 16.17%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.06 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.