570 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Purchased by Pathway Financial Advisers LLC

Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 125.3% during the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.54, for a total transaction of $306,810.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 37,228 shares in the company, valued at $7,614,615.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $867,450. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Hershey from $192.00 to $191.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup boosted their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $179.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.50.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $199.08. 2,235,769 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,718,185. The company has a market cap of $40.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.72, a P/E/G ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $233.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $189.85 and its 200 day moving average is $192.72.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.01 earnings per share. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

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.