Beacon Financial Group Invests $367,000 in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Beacon Financial Group acquired a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $367,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Hershey by 30,461.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,130,000 after purchasing an additional 571,766 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Hershey by 5.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Hershey by 31.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 586,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,491,000 after buying an additional 139,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 2.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,476,000 after buying an additional 109,336 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $158.13 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $163.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.86. The stock has a market cap of $32.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.51, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on HSY. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

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.