PUREfi Wealth LLC Makes New Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

PUREfi Wealth LLC bought a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Good Life Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 108.1% in the third quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 5,052 shares of the company's stock worth $969,000 after buying an additional 2,624 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 4,916 shares of the company's stock worth $943,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $208,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 28.9% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the company's stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M3 Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $202,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Mizuho reduced their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded up $0.89 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $163.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,391,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,026,145. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company's 50 day moving average is $161.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.56. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $33.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a P/E/G ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Hershey 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.