PUREfi Wealth LLC Invests $269,000 in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

PUREfi Wealth LLC bought a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 1,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 108.1% in the 3rd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 5,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $969,000 after purchasing an additional 2,624 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 4,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $943,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $208,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M3 Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $202,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $157.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $162.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.58. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HSY shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

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.