Christine Messmer PC Invests $1.27 Million in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Christine Messmer PC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 6,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,270,000. Hershey makes up about 0.8% of Christine Messmer PC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,122,000 after buying an additional 9,309 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial raised its position in Hershey by 38,266.7% in the 4th quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after buying an additional 5,740 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Hershey by 166.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 39,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,332,000 after buying an additional 24,509 shares during the last quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. raised its position in Hershey by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 113,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,276,000 after buying an additional 7,064 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance raised its position in Hershey by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 42,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,957,000 after buying an additional 2,573 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090 in the last quarter. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 0.0%

Hershey stock opened at $182.26 on Tuesday. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $150.04 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $210.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $196.79.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research downgraded Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.33.

Hershey Company 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.