The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Purchased by MML Investors Services LLC

MML Investors Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 23,622 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,000,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Virtu Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 83.1% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 14,170 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,717,000 after buying an additional 6,433 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 86.8% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in Hershey by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 8,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,582,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co raised its holdings in Hershey by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 5,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in Hershey by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 116,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,329,000 after purchasing an additional 2,391 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $163.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $33.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $169.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.61. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Piper Sandler cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reduced their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $159.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.35.

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.