Pacific Point Advisors LLC Takes $1.47 Million Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 8,701 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,474,000. Hershey comprises about 0.9% of Pacific Point Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $161.40.

Hershey Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $2.88 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $158.23. 2,737,827 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,893,932. The firm has a market cap of $32.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $164.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.76. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

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.