Benjamin Edwards Inc. Purchases 1,758 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 91,233 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,758 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $15,451,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its position in Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company's stock worth $939,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 238 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company's stock valued at $921,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded down $1.13 on Wednesday, hitting $168.88. 2,195,273 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,771,746. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $168.48 and a 200-day moving average of $168.67. The stock has a market cap of $34.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $161.40.

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.