The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Dakota Wealth Management

Dakota Wealth Management increased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 574.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,718 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,389 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,930,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Reliant Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $4,173,000. Rheos Capital Works Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 21.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. now owns 152,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,592,000 after buying an additional 27,000 shares in the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,603,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 94.7% during the 4th quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 17,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,237,000 after buying an additional 8,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fulcrum Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 35.9% in the 4th quarter. Fulcrum Capital LLC now owns 37,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,955,000 after acquiring an additional 9,858 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total value of $396,170.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 14,770 shares in the company, valued at $2,833,624.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Hershey news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total value of $396,170.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,770 shares in the company, valued at $2,833,624.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.97, for a total transaction of $283,455.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 29,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,634,329.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,518 shares of company stock valued at $1,066,414 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $183.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Barclays raised their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $223.81.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $182.53 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.34. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $276.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $193.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.02 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.37 dividend. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.55%.

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.