Archer Investment Corp Purchases 1,400 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Archer Investment Corp lifted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 130.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,477 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the quarter. Archer Investment Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. PFS Investments Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. PFS Investments Inc. now owns 1,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Cassia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the third quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Marshall Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.4% in the third quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 3,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $792,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 0.4% during the third quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 14,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,853,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $182.45 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $192.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $191.11. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $276.88. The company has a market capitalization of $37.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 60.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total value of $396,170.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,833,624.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $369,681.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $2,833,624.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,518 shares of company stock valued at $1,066,414 over the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $223.33.

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.