Clare Market Investments LLC Makes New $1.02 Million Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Clare Market Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 4,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,025,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Syon Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $181.55 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $36.82 billion, a PE ratio of 33.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $184.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.02. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $160.07 and a 12 month high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The business’s revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. Analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 108.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research cut Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen raised Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $217.50.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 54,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,485,753.85. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey 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.