World Investment Advisors Purchases Shares of 1,304 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

World Investment Advisors bought a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 1,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. OV Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. OV Management LLC now owns 8,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after buying an additional 739 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,139,000 after buying an additional 47,394 shares during the period. Tradewinds LLC. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $285,000. Finally, Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $356,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.50.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $164.29 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $166.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $171.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.