164 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Bought by Crowley Wealth Management Inc.

Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 15.8% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 24,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,645,000 after purchasing an additional 3,311 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 31.9% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 9,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,810,000 after purchasing an additional 2,281 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 73.6% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 4,772 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 31.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 586,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,491,000 after purchasing an additional 139,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth $334,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $167.38 on Monday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $162.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $174.80. 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 company has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group decreased 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.75.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.