The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Holdings Lifted by Eukles Asset Management

Eukles Asset Management grew its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,942 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Hershey makes up approximately 1.3% of Eukles Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HSY. PFS Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. PFS Investments Inc. now owns 1,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 3.2% during the third quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $335,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.4% in the 3rd 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 lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 14,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,853,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE HSY traded up $0.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $185.07. 926,664 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,969,788. The firm has a market cap of $37.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $192.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $276.88.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 60.55%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total transaction of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,121.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,453 shares of company stock worth $670,244. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Hershey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $223.33.

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.