Aurdan Capital Management LLC Acquires New Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Aurdan Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $422,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler downgraded Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays increased their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $162.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $161.42. The stock had a trading volume of 676,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,785,961. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $166.51. The stock has a market cap of $32.70 billion, a PE ratio of 14.79, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

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.