PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Makes New Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 52,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,633,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $184.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $160.07 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $37.41 billion, a PE ratio of 34.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $194.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $198.75.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.19%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value 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 represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.06.

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.