Triumph Capital Management Acquires 774 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Triumph Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 57.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,124 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 774 shares during the quarter. Triumph Capital Management’s holdings in Hershey were worth $396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Accurate Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Vicus Capital bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $208,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 58,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,630,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 29,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,965,000 after buying an additional 872 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 67,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,581,000 after buying an additional 1,507 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total value of $278,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,824.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,453 shares of company stock worth $665,534. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 0.1 %

HSY opened at $193.70 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $276.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $39.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $191.80 and a 200-day moving average of $190.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its 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. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.02 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley downgraded Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $183.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $212.78.

Hershey Company 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.