The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Verdence Capital Advisors LLC

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,316 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $828,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $175.67 on Monday. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $171.67 and a one year high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $35.54 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $189.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.17.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by ($0.16). Hershey had a return on equity of 43.24% and a net margin of 16.17%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Citigroup cut shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $190.56.

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.