The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Position Boosted by Tarbox Family Office Inc.

Tarbox Family Office Inc. boosted its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 53.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,309 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,156 shares during the period. Tarbox Family Office Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $644,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 125.3% in the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.54, for a total value of $306,810.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 37,228 shares in the company, valued at $7,614,615.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $859,950 over the last three months. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $0.97 on Friday, hitting $184.65. 686,352 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,857,282. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $194.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.22. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $251.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.33, a PEG ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.96 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $179.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Argus decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Edward Jones reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, April 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $209.67.

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.