Signature Wealth Management Group Makes New Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Signature Wealth Management Group purchased a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 20,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,472,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,939,000. Finally, Ethos Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 1,483 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $163.75.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $170.32 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $162.15 and a 200 day moving average of $175.86. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.63, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% 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.