Inkwell Capital LLC Purchases Shares of 14,096 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Inkwell Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 14,096 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,387,000. Hershey makes up 2.6% of Inkwell Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Portland Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Portland Global Advisors LLC now owns 29,275 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,958,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Allianz SE bought a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $1,159,000. Allstate Corp bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $757,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 51.4% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 710 shares of the company's stock worth $120,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Finally, RiverFront Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 324.3% in the fourth quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 6,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 5,027 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of HSY stock traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $164.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,367,541 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,782,783. 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 Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $33.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.12, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a 50 day moving average of $164.97 and a 200 day moving average of $173.19.

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Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (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, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business 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 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Bernstein Bank lowered their price objective on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $183.00 price target on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm'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 directly owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.