Fisher Asset Management LLC Has $767,000 Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 190.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,216 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,766 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth $35,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Evercore raised shares of Hershey from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $255.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.06.

Hershey Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE HSY opened at $194.19 on Friday. Hershey Company has a one year low of $154.37 and a one year high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $39.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.07. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $197.45 and its 200-day moving average is $198.45.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.19%.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.