Harvest Investment Advisors LLC Acquires New Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Harvest Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,021,000. Hershey comprises about 1.1% of Harvest Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Syon Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co lifted its holdings in Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $559,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research cut Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on Hershey in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $218.06.

Hershey Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:HSY opened at $182.60 on Wednesday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $190.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.60. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $160.07 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.09.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.19%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.