QRG Capital Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,196 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 467 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank grew its stake in Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Up 3.5 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $178.77 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $160.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $176.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bernstein Bank decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.