Diversified LLC Takes Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Diversified LLC bought a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Marshall Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.4% in the third quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 3,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.4% in the third quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 14,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,853,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.1% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 5,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accurate Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Edward Jones reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Morgan Stanley cut Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $183.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $223.33.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total transaction of $296,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,121.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,121.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $186.33 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $38.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $192.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $190.81. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $276.88.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.07. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey’s payout ratio is 60.55%.

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.