Tradewinds LLC. Invests $285,000 in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Tradewinds LLC. purchased a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $169.55 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $34.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $164.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $173.25.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bernstein Bank cut their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.