St. James Investment Company LLC Purchases Shares of 64,948 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

St. James Investment Company LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 64,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,999,000. Hershey accounts for about 1.9% of St. James Investment Company LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th 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. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted 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 valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $169.87 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $164.03 and its 200-day moving average is $173.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a market capitalization of $34.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on HSY. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.50.

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.