Enhancing Capital LLC Buys Shares of 2,346 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Enhancing Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,346 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $397,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. City State Bank raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.8 %

HSY stock traded up $2.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $167.38. 3,046,959 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,753,532. The company has a market capitalization of $33.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. 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 Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.96.

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Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $163.75.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

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.