Clearview Wealth Advisors LLC Takes $283,000 Position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Clearview Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 46,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,910,000 after acquiring an additional 3,578 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 464.9% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in Hershey by 22.6% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 2,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 5,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,007,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Hershey Stock Up 1.1%

Hershey stock opened at $173.25 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.10 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $164.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.36.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.07 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.