Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 11,608 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 23.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 61,539 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,608 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $11,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Close Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Hershey by 339.3% in the 3rd quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Trading Up 0.9%

HSY opened at $184.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $37.41 billion, a PE ratio of 34.34, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The business has a 50 day moving average of $194.51 and a 200-day moving average of $198.75. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $160.07 and a 52 week high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Evercore upgraded Hershey from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $255.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.06.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.