3,000 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Acquired by Symmetry Investments LP

Symmetry Investments LP bought a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 14.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after buying an additional 2,158,912 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 297.9% during the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,959,000 after buying an additional 537,419 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $82,123,000. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3,404.3% during the first quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 256,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,879,000 after buying an additional 249,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1,194.0% during the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,837,000 after buying an additional 230,077 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $195.43 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $39.52 billion, a PE ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day moving average of $196.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $194.07. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.80%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 54.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $179.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, June 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Argus cut Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.21.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793 over the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Company 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.