Syon Capital LLC Buys New Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Syon Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $566,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Hershey by 7.8% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 3,285.7% during the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 50.2% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 26,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,240,000 after purchasing an additional 8,758 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Hershey by 25.1% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 88,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,609,000 after purchasing an additional 17,631 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $186.23 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $37.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.34. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $276.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $191.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $190.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 60.55%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total transaction of $296,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 40,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,961,121.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $369,681.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,453 shares of company stock worth $665,534 in the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, March 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Edward Jones restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently 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.