Eisler Capital Management Ltd. Buys New Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Eisler Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 10,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,727,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 95.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 218,055 shares of the company's stock worth $40,558,000 after acquiring an additional 106,450 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock worth $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $200,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 102,126 shares of the company's stock worth $17,295,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded up $0.88 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $171.00. 1,228,311 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,769,604. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $168.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.29. The stock has a market cap of $34.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.07 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $161.40.

About Hershey

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.