Certior Financial Group LLC Acquires Shares of 1,846 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Certior Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $313,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company's stock worth $785,003,000 after acquiring an additional 247,675 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 711,009 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,409,000 after purchasing an additional 93,009 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $80,978,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.9 %

Hershey stock traded up $1.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $165.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,233,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,800,625. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $167.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $171.29. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $33.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Piper Sandler cut shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bernstein Bank decreased their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $183.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $162.50.

About Hershey

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.