Qsemble Capital Management LP Has $7.35 Million Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Qsemble Capital Management LP reduced its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 8.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,394 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,630 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Close Asset Management Ltd raised its position in Hershey by 339.3% during the third quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $186.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.07. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $150.04 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $202.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $196.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.09 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 108.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on HSY. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays decreased their price objective on Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Seven investment 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 has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,189,090. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.