Proficio Capital Partners LLC Takes Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 107,902 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,273,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Hershey at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth $25,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $251,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 10.0% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 62.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 160,807 shares of the company's stock worth $30,840,000 after buying an additional 61,765 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its stake in Hershey by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 54,701 shares of the company's stock worth $10,490,000 after buying an additional 3,071 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday. 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. 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 report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bernstein Bank lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $163.75.

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Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded down $1.23 on Tuesday, hitting $169.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 991,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,759,075. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $34.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock's 50-day moving average is $162.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

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.