Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. Buys 495 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. grew its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 15.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,691 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the period. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 8,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,574,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,000 after buying an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. AJOVista LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $153,000. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $507,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $720,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of several analyst reports. BNP Paribas lowered Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Edward Jones restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, April 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, March 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $212.78.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY traded up $2.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $197.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,396,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,711,441. The business’s fifty day moving average is $191.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $190.76. The stock has a market cap of $40.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.33. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $275.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.52.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The company’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.31%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total transaction of $296,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,121.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.