Pacer Advisors Inc. Boosts Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 4,478.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 586,141 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 573,339 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned about 0.29% of Hershey worth $106,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 123.0% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 1.7%

HSY opened at $172.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.24. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $160.07 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $189.07 and its 200 day moving average is $198.40. The stock has a market cap of $34.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.09.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group cut their price target on Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price objective on Hershey in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.06.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total transaction of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.