Bogart Wealth LLC Has $282,000 Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,668 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 108.1% in the 3rd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 5,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $969,000 after buying an additional 2,624 shares during the period. Marshall Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.7% in the third quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 4,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $943,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth $208,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 28.9% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M3 Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $202,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of HSY opened at $157.99 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $162.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $179.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 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 data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bernstein Bank decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company 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.